Artificial intelligence, with all its controversies, questions, and ambiguities, is here to stay. This trend is increasing in the workplace, and the way we work is changing. While many researchers have focused on the potential downsides, few have focused on the benefits.
We interviewed three Missouri University of Science and Technology faculty members with expertise in a variety of academic fields to find out more about the future of AI, its acceptance by the general public, and how it interacts with the economy. We asked about the ethical implications of using AI.
there will be an impact on the economy
The consensus among Missouri science and technology experts is that the economy will change, but the disruption will be offset by new opportunities.
“AI will not achieve general human capabilities within 20 years,” said Mary Finley, director of the Kumar Institute’s Center for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems and professor of electrical and computer engineering at S&T. says one Dr. Donald Wansch. “Employee mobility will continue in blue-collar and white-collar positions. Current low-wage jobs will become even more valuable, and other six- and seven-figure jobs could be replaced by AI. For example, future AI may be able to outperform hedge fund managers. But people will not trust AI babysitters.
Dr. Daniel Shank, associate professor of psychological science at S&T, agreed with Wansch.
“I’m not convinced that AI is likely to cause mass layoffs, even industry-wide, at least in the near future,” Shank says. “AI is good at supplementing processes and automating the tedious parts of tasks, but in doing so, industries are also adapting and finding different uses for humans and AI.”
Traditional humanities disciplines such as writing, music, film, and art are often featured in the media when it comes to creating and creating AI. Many are concerned that these areas will have little human interaction. But the work continues as before, in different and new ways.
“Chatbots and large-scale language models are an incredible development, and we’re only just beginning to see what’s to come with them,” says Dr. Darin Finke, professor of philosophy at Missouri State University. . “But the history of AI is also a history of hype. With every new technological advancement in AI, exaggerated predictions abound.”
When will I be able to work with AI?
One day, the technology may grow to the point where it can provide various functions to society. Are there any industries that are safe, such as education, healthcare, hairstyling, plumbing, etc.? People are willing to work and interact with fully AI colleagues, graphic designers, and taxi drivers who act as chatbots. Would you accept it?
“I think most people have no experience with AI or robots as colleagues,” Shank says. “Even if AI and robots take away human jobs, people tend to see them as tools or as a way to augment their work.”
Shank says there are still some tasks that AI and robots can do much better than humans, but humans continue to do them.
“When it comes to automated systems, both broad acceptance, performance and personal preference come into play, especially when there is a human or machine option,” says Shank. “So the same person might be afraid to ride in a self-driving car, but would rather talk to a chatbot about banking issues, as there may be basic acceptance levels and preferences.
“In some industries, sudden changes may disrupt employment arrangements,” Shank continues. “For example, self-driving cars and human taxi drivers are a case where there are many conflicts, including legal issues.”
Wansch also believes that the time when individual robots will replace individual humans is still far away.
“If all drivers were AI, the problem would be a lot easier because humans are bad drivers. But people won’t accept that. and self-driving cars that move around, but not on public roads,” Wansch said. “The main problem lies in unpredictability. A general principle applies: the more carefully the problem can be identified, the more likely an AI solution will be useful. There is still a lot of scope for applying AI. ”
Can we shape the use of AI ethically?
Could human-to-human interaction in general become rarer in the future? Or maybe the opposite will happen? This is because more time and tasks will be eased and individuals will probably be able to devote more time and effort to volunteering and other fulfilling activities. Jobs will always exist, but workplaces, job markets, and entire industries can one day change beyond recognition.
“For years now, human interactions focused solely on organizational tasks have been declining,” Shank says. “You don’t need to staff every financial transaction or every service. If you don’t have long-term contact with people in different trade areas, such as fast food, there are different effects. Relationships are much more important to maintain than exposure to human fast food servers.”
Finke said the impact on employment could lead to ethical issues on a new scale. “New technology is always slightly ahead of the ethics associated with that technology,” Finke says. “And the ethicists are trying to play catch-up.”
So how does ethics relate to the world of AI? History often holds the answer. Similar panics occur during the industrialization of agriculture and large-scale mechanical processing. Modern questions may be more along the lines of whether you can “own” an AI-generated work of art, or whether someone should allow an AI to teach children in a classroom.
“With the rise of digital technology over the past two decades, many philosophy programs across the country have responded by developing courses and degrees specifically related to digital and AI ethics, a relatively new field,” Finke said. I say. “Next steps include not only further developing digital and AI ethics, but also understanding and framing other unethical issues associated with the technology.
“For example, can ChatGPT output be original? Can it really be creative? Who owns that output? Is it copyrightable?” asks Finke. “AI technology is already being used in art and photography contests, so questions of authorship, creativity, and even legality arise when writers, artists, poets, academics, or anyone else uses AI in their work. It seems to be happening.”
new cold war
Another aspect of the future of AI is the disparity between national economies. Will lack of infrastructure impact growth in certain regions of the world? Could AI reduce the gap between the world’s rich and poor, or could it worsen it?
“AI brings us closer to either utopia or dystopia, and the decisions we make now will influence which outcome is achieved,” Wansch says. “We need to respond to the extraordinary level of international competition in AI.”
If governments play a more passive role in the use and development of AI, companies may compete for the economic high ground. Perhaps new big tech companies will emerge, or current big companies will grow with AI.
“The arms race with AI seems to be more company-based than country-based, and countries are struggling to catch up in terms of laws, taxes, trade agreements, and policies guiding the ethical use of AI.” says Shank. “On the other hand, there is some bias.”
Shank says there are only a handful of companies in the world that can train state-of-the-art AI large-scale language models that use statistical models to analyze and understand text, such as the currently popular ChatGPT. But once trained, it can be easily distributed and incorporated into products for people to use anywhere.
As for the race to the top, Wansch agrees that it has already begun and could continue to escalate.
“The growth of AI will continue to be a competition between nations,” says Wunsch. “There will still be a lot of room for innovation from unpredictable sources, especially in the mathematics of AI.”
Wansch also said he believes the political and economic impact of AI will be enormous. Instead of listening to all the noise about AI, he wants political leaders to reach out to experts in the field. Some of it may even be generated by the AI itself.
“Regulatory pressures are significant, some of which are out of touch with the real AI opportunities and threats. Our leaders must seek expert opinion that aligns with the interests of their constituents. ” says Wansch. “Many coastal AI experts who influence policy overlook important issues and opportunities for disruptive innovation that impact diverse elements of society. In some cases, they prefer to suppress it. And expert opinions vary widely, so we need to seek local views.”
About the Missouri Institute of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university with more than 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Missouri S&T, part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, offers more than 100 degrees in 40 fields of study and ranks among the nation’s top public universities in salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. It is said to be one. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.
