by Barry A. Liebling
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is here to stay, and it will have a gigantic impact on the world. Business, education, personal relations, day-to-day living are already being affected, and the trend is accelerating. I anticipate that the magnitude of the change will be comparable to how the internet and e-mail altered the human condition beginning in the early 1990s.
You have two choices. You can refuse to participate, or you can jump in and make it an integral part of your life.
Of course, some people will attempt to stay away from AI. This despite the certainty that most of the world around them will be using it. If you select this option you will be in a similar position as adults in 2025 who intentionally stay away from the internet and e-mail. They do get by, but their quality of life is severely limited.
Alternatively, you can deliberately make it a part of your work and personal life. And here is some advice on how you should proceed.
AI is a tool, and you should regard it as you do any other tool. It is tremendously powerful and can perform tasks that no machine could have previously. And like all tools it can be used responsibly and wisely, or it can be abused and lead to mischief and bad outcomes.
Note well that while it mimics human actions it does not have free will, does not think, does not have consciousness in the way that humans do. Instead it is a sophisticated device that is programmed and “trained” to accomplish a wide range of complex tasks. AI is not and cannot be your friend the way a person can. Conceptualizing AI as an entity with self-awareness is the same mistake as attributing human qualities to any machine, for example an automobile.
If you need to automate routine or complicated tasks AI can be very useful. If you want to do research that involves searching the internet AI can save you a lot of time. If you request that it write essays and articles, it will crank them out rapidly. But be aware that it is subject to errors. Sometimes it produces output that is patently false – called “hallucinations” by AI developers. That means that in general if you are using it for work, for school, or for personal improvement you have to check the output. And the more important the task is to you the more essential it is that you scrutinize the accuracy of AI. To uncritically trust what it tells you is a path to disaster.
Many educational institutions have declared that students should not use AI for their assignments. Alternatively, students are allowed to employ AI but are required to disclose which engine they used to complete their work. Some teachers are using AI detectors, such as Turnitin, to categorize student output as either machine-generated or created by a human. And because there is always an arms race when new technology becomes available, there are programs students can use to convert AI generated content into output that looks like a human produced it.
Effectively enforcing bans or limitations on AI use in schools is not possible. Students who are clumsy and send in AI-generated work without editing it will get caught. But consider students who take AI content as a first step and then use the information to create written material in their own voice. I regard that as a legitimate methodology. And the final output will not have AI fingerprints on it.
Of course using AI can lead to bad outcomes. And this is true for any advancement in technology. People who yearn to be controlled and enjoy being submissive are already using AI to realize their unhealthy ambitions. There are a host of cases where users seek advice and guidance from AI, trust it without checking, and consequently get hurt. Sometimes they request supervision and direction on topics such as staying healthy, exercising, medical interventions, and the assertions and recommendations are not valid. Many users request advice on how to succeed in their careers and automatically comply without properly evaluating what they were told. Apparently there are numerous tragic cases where AI users have fake personal relationships with AI agents that converse with them using simulated human voices, become emotionally attached to the sessions, and end up harming themselves.
Keep in mind that people who use AI foolishly are responsible for their actions and deserve blame. This is parallel to cases where someone recklessly drives an automobile and causes a preventable accident.
AI is here to stay. It can be an extremely valuable tool if you are thoughtful and prudent. But in the hands a dunce, who surrenders good judgment to AI, it can deliver toxic results. Proceed with caution.
*** See other entries at AlertMindPublishing.com in “Monthly Columns.” ***