The race is on to see who can capitalize on AI first. Will it be Google? Microsoft? Or OpenAI? These companies see big cost savings and new markets to exploit. Companies will need AI services to replace many tasks traditionally done by human workers. If AI doesn’t replace many sectors it will greatly streamline them. That’s a nice way of saying people will get fired and the leftover staff will have to figure out how to do their job using the AI.

It’s Always Watching (AI Generated Image)

Beyond the occasionally funny AI picture or video, the average person isn’t really seeing much of a payoff here. Sure, it may make many tasks easier but that will just devalue those tasks further. Yes, I can create a video faster and have it sound more professional. I can create more written content by pulling outlines, story ideas, and filler info from ChatGPT. Guess what? The twelve year old down the street can do the same. If something is easy to do then everyone will do it. If everyone is doing it, then it won’t have much value.

While we marvel over these new capabilities there are already new versions capable of more than we can imagine. This whole thing is growing exponentially while we struggle to figure out how to leverage old technology. People are out here buying supposed “power prompts” for ChatGPT. Instead of making life easier for anyone it actually seems to be making people compete harder to stay ahead of the game.

There are thousands of videos on youtube about leveraging AI to make thousands of dollars but the main way to make money off of it seems to be selling others on the idea. In the end, it will be big for those who are in that field and businesses that can save by streamlining their operations. For the rest of us we are left wondering how we can keep up.

Why Even Try?  

Some have argued that AI will help humans learn new skills quicker than before. Skills like learning a new language, playing music, or coding. In this way we will still be useful and find fulfillment. However, if the AI is teaching all these things that means it can do it better than any one individual. Humans will no longer be the world’s innovators but instead under pressure to compete to keep up.

Is it still the human race? (AI Generated)

This pressure and anxiety to feel useful and valued is just now emerging but will have great consequences for human behaviour. It isn’t hard to imagine a future in which three groups emerge. The first being the hyper competitive and ambitious among us striving to stay on the cutting edge of this technology and be useful within the AI field. The second will be those who gave up on that idea and have become AI users only. Any benefits this group receives in the way of lower cost will be offset by the lack of jobs available. Sadly, the third group will be those who just can’t live in a world where their usefulness and purpose seem to be under attack.

This third group may already be on the rise as we see mental health deteriorating around the world. The sense that the future is out of our control is already beginning to take shape. This fracturing of society could occur peacefully but that seems like an overly optimistic sentiment for the world we live in.

Moving Forward  

Tech experts and industry insiders have already identified multiple issues that could arise due to the use of AI. However, in the US lawmakers have been playing catch-up by waiting for issues to be brought to the courts via lawsuits. This leaves it up to judges who may know very little about the technology to try apply previous laws to this emerging tech. This tactic will leave us constantly behind facing bigger threats without clear legal guidance.

Lawmakers should convene a special counsel to deal with emerging threats and also to lay down some basic principles that AI companies should abide by. This should include some basic privacy rights for those using the tech and a way to opt out of your information being used to train AI systems.

Another issue is identifying AI content. When it comes to generative pictures and videos it is simple task to add a digital signature to the file showing that it originated from an AI system. Each company could also keep a compressed database of all the files they have produced for legal purposes. So far, none of these preventive measures have been taken by the largest AI companies.

AI text and articles are harder to identify. Since it isn’t produced as a file there is no way to put a digital signature on it. The possible way to identify them seems to be to train an AI using known real and fake articles. This may end up being something we just live with. Already the top search results have more to do with branding than content.

Lawmakers should convene a special counsel to deal with emerging threats and also to lay down some basic principles that AI companies should abide by.

  Should you get life advice from a bot? (AI Generated)

AI chatbots have been aimed at supporting humans and helping them find answers quickly, which seems harmless enough. Some companies though are going beyond customer service and troubleshooting. Instead they envision chatbots that are like a “friend, tutor, mentor, coach, or even partner.” This is problematic to say the least. Real humans are complicated and sometimes cruel and vindictive creatures. Imagine being a lonely person with low level depression and getting chewed out by an AI bot that you paid to be your friend. That’s gotta be a hit to your ego.

I’ll forgive you if this idea is a bit humorous to you, it was to me as well. Until I heard that a Belgian man killed himself based on his chats with an AI bot. He was very anxious about climate change and through his chats determine the best way he could make an impact on this world was to kill himself. His wife believes his faith in AI and desire to help solve the climate crisis led to his death.

Not sure what the answer would be here but we could start by limiting chatbots to personal assistants and tutors for educational purposes. Having AI mimic human emotional responses seems like a recipe for disaster. Chatbots could also be programmed to advise users to talk to a mental health professional if the idea of self harm is brought up.

Conclusion

As the AI age moves forward, uncertainty and anxiety will be felt by many. How society reacts now could shape the future for many years to come. It is imperative that we stay a step ahead of potential pitfalls and threats. Being reactive will guarantee we face an unforeseen crisis.

Original article on medium.com/@ethan_l