Blog Post #9 - Age of AI

The Age of AI is Frightening!

I remember only a few years ago when it was first announced that ChatGPT was released to the public. I was confused because, as someone who understands programming, AI in science fiction did not seem possible. After testing it, it is somewhat similar to many previous smart tools, such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and others. As we know it today, AI is not like the kind in movies that will overthrow humanity; however, it is still a helpful but dangerous tool.

According to In the Age of AI, a documentary by PBS, AI is a tool for automation that threatens jobs in all industries. One of AI's greatest strengths is its ability to complete routine processing jobs. These jobs include cashiers, fast food workers, and clerical jobs, which statistically are shown to be held by women more than men. Therefore, AI largely threatens women's jobs in this country and worldwide. I find this information concerning, not only because I am a woman, but also because this will continue to shrink the middle class and grow the lower class. With factors such as inflation, increased layoffs, and world events, my generation feels pressured to come into the world as adults and make ends meet. With the addition of job loss due to AI and automation, this news is frustrating to someone in my demographic. 

Additionally, AI poses a serious risk to privacy in our daily lives. Many big technology companies, such as Google, already invade our privacy through their terms of service to collect data on the public. This data helps them to sell our information or to target certain advertisements. Using AI, these practices will continue to be more and more profitable for these companies or the government, and data analyses will be much easier.

When first learning about AI, I did not think I needed to be afraid of it because I knew it could not take over the world like in the movies. However, I realize now that I should be afraid about how it will affect the economy, the job market, and my privacy. In my opinion, laws and regulations should be passed regarding the use of AI. I believe that rules should be in place to choose what jobs AI can do to prevent job loss and poverty. Leading companies in the industry should also set examples for the rest of the world by limiting their use in the workplace. Additionally, violation of our privacy and data collection of the public by AI should be illegal.

However, although AI is a powerful tool that can be left in the wrong hands, it does not mean that AI is an evil tool. In fact, it can create tremendous good if used correctly. Personally, I like AI more than search engines for finding complicated answers online. I can give it a detailed prompt with several conditions and receive a well-explained answer to my question. Also, it can run many more scenarios than we can, as seen with AlphaGo in South Korea, that can be applied to several areas, such as medicine and finding cures.