AI, or artificial intelligence, has jumped from fiction into reality as we enter a new age of advancements. Many worry about the ethics of AI.
Its capabilities make it easy for organizations to replace humans, which would devastate the capitalist society we live in. In light of these rising issues, the government should put regulations and restrictions on the development and usage of AI to make sure usage of AI remains ethical and safe not just for Americans but the world. AI’s capabilities put humans at risk of losing jobs; can we draw the line at AI replacing us? AI starts to become unethical when it replaces humans or fills in for a human workforce.
CALL TO ACTION
There needs to be something done before it gets out of hand. So what can the government do? And is there actual evidence of AI replacing people and taking jobs? Simply, yes.
You like cars? Well Tesla cars are coming out with a new feature that can provide assisted driving which will “Actively [guide] your vehicle from a highway on-ramp to off-ramp, including suggesting lane changes, navigating interchanges, automatically engaging the turn signal and taking the correct exit.” How long will it be before they can drive themselves and put chauffeurs and taxi drivers at risk of losing jobs?
Do you like writing creative stories and making interesting pieces of art? Well soon AI will replace that too, with things like AI art or if video game companies continue to use AI generated scripts.
Yet one point many forget to mention is that AI isn’t actually making this itself. What the system is doing is finding images online that relate to the prompt given to it and mash said images together; that’s why you get weird distorted images at times or hands that don’t look right. This is the one advantage humans will always have over AI; it can’t actually create.
Everything AI does it does by pulling from previous HUMAN resources. The bots just can’t make an entire image itself or make a story without pulling passages from The Godfather. That’s why AI can’t truly replace artists, but it can steal from them.
UPSIDE?
Claims have been made stating “the upside” to AI taking office jobs is how it would be great for AI to take boring jobs and leave people more free time to pursue their interests, living a more active life. Yeah great idea just uhhh….. How do you do that without money?
I agree that not having to work and being able to dedicate more time to hobbies or spending time with family is amazing, but is that possible without money? Our modern day lives depend on the capitalist society we live in. It makes sense; it’s how things have been done for years, but if AI took jobs that make up a vast majority of the workforce, like accounting, marketing, customer service, accountants, bankers and secretaries.
TAKE UP ARMS
What can be done to stop this rising threat? Thankfully there are steps being made to be wary of AI’s potential, with even Pope Francis’ addressing a call for an international treaty to “ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used ethically.” He would go on to state, “The unique capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision making is more than a complex collection of algorithms, and that capacity cannot be reduced to programming a machine.”
This is the step in the right direction, nevertheless more precautions are needed. For one, there needs to be actual laws and regulations on artificial intelligence development, no unspoken rules or implied law; there needs to be strict limits on AI ability and development. An example is that AI can’t be allowed to give prompts or read text out loud nor can an AI be used for more than providing instant data when requested; it will remain inactive until asked a question These proposals shall be necessary as we enter the next age of technological innovation and artificial intelligence development.
But let’s just say for the sake of fairness AI does start to replace us, then what? AI development is one thing, but what of the risk of reliance? Currently AI is being used to interview job applications; looking at a report on how views of AI impact your attractiveness towards business, we see that “More organizations use AI in the hiring process than ever before.” And in that same report they state, “For instance, we find that individuals who consider it ethical for organizations to use AI in ways often considered to be intrusive to privacy, such as analyzing social media content for traits and characteristics, view such organizations as both more innovative and attractive.” This is concerning, since AI can easily be corrupted if given bad data. Imagine a person didn’t get hired because the company they applied to had an AI suggesting anyone that wears a green tie is likely not a good employee to hire. This also segues into the fear of AI replacing humans in the workforce; there needs to be accountability for this potential threat. If there is not a system in place to make sure people have jobs that provide them with the money to shelter and eat then they will fall into homelessness, starve, be unable to pay medical bills, and in the worst cases turn to crime.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Take action while we can to stop AI dominating the workforce by emailing your governors the concerns you have, spread word about the latest developments and what they can mean, and stand united with your fellow man. We are at the edge of an era as we leap into the next, but as we step into we must not only ask “can we?” but “should we?” Don’t let AI run rampant due to someone else’s greed and sloth; let the government know they need to put regulations on AI and protect not just livelihoods but human survival.
