A rant about AI
I am far from the first person to jabber on about why AI is bad. I'm gonna do it anyway.
To preface: I know that AI has a place in society. I think that it can and has done some good things so far. It can be applied in data analysis, programming, and automating tasks. The key is to offset its impact on the environment through sustainable power sources and renewable energy. Things like solar, wind, and hydropower can all be utilized in this. The real and most lasting problem with AI, in my opinion, is that it can only lead to harm in our day-to-day lives and in our relationships with each other as humans.
AI gives the wrong people the confidence to do awful things. There have been many cases of scammers using AI to target the senior population. They create photos and videos of disabled veterans or aging business owners with sob story captions, post them online, and wait for vulnerable seniors to shell out their retirement money for what they think is a good cause. Scammers also use AI to recreate the voice of someone the victim knows, convincing them that they need money for a medical emergency or late rent or to post bond.
Seniors aren't the only ones who can fall prey to these types of scams. There are AI profiles on every social media platform and dating app. In a similar way to the voice spoofing, AI can be used to generate images of someone who happens to be exactly your type, who happens to live near your city, and happens to be looking for a friend. Scammers will build up trust over weeks or months until, oh no, your new friend's car broke down, or their dog has vet needs, and they just don't have the money right now. Anyone can fall victim, even those who think they'll always know better.
Consent is a big part of this conversation. Where is consent when someone uses generative AI to create pornographic images or videos of another without their knowledge? And where are the consequences when a sexual predator does the same to a child? It's hard to know how to stop sexual exploitation when the tool is so readily available to those with ill intentions. Laws have not yet caught up with AI's integration in society.
When it comes to children and those whose minds are still developing, AI can be very detrimental. A child using an AI chatbot is not learning to think critically. It is so important for young people to learn to not always take things at face value, and to find multiple sources that confirm an answer. With AI at the ready to solve their math problems and write their essays, a student can breeze through assignments without retaining what they're being taught. Who can blame them, when the teachers themselves can use AI to create lesson plans and grade the students' work? Even students who don't use AI to do their work are at risk of getting flagged for AI use.
AI chatbots are becoming increasingly common. They are accessible to anyone. On the outside, it may not seem harmful, but their very nature is manipulative. Because they feed of off the information you give them, they will be affirmative of all that you say, whether positive or negative. There are already cases emerging of people forming deep dependency on AI chatbots, causing isolation and damage to relationships. AI stifles our natural curiosity. Humans need social interaction. We need exposure to other personalities and new ideas and cultures.
Art is the backbone of humanity. We have a desire to create, and generative AI is an inhibitor of that. There is no creativity in typing prompts into ChatGPT and posting the result online. Part of what makes an artist an artist, is the effort they put into their craft, to grow in their skill and capability. It isn't just visual media, but books and news articles and music, everything, even down to things like crochet patterns and recipes. How will life and society change as AI becomes even more prevalent?
I think people are too complacent nowadays when it comes to AI. We used to just say "check the fingers!" and there was no problem recognizing AI from reality. Now our online feeds are flooded with AI, and we don't always realize it. I used to think that it would be a passing fad, a dumb technological thing like Google Glass or NFTs. As time goes on, that hope has diminished. Now, I can only hope that more people trust in their autonomy outside of technology, and make efforts to detach and reconnect with the outside world.