Concerns about how artificial intelligence will impact the society of the future can sound a little far-fetched. Such talk brings to mind visions of classic yet fantastical science-fiction films such as The Terminator and 2001: A Space Odyssey. But the quickening pace of technological development threatens to make some of the fears expressed in these stories a reality. Although the subject of AI is far from being at the forefront of most of our minds, experts studying the field warn that advances in computer intelligence can have a profound impact on our species for which we may not be adequately prepared.
The multitude of ways in which AI has already impacted our lives should not be overlooked. Artificial intelligence has become so deeply ingrained in most of our daily routines that it can seem almost invisible. In fact, the lives of everyone who uses a smartphone are shaped by the influence of AI: algorithms that learn our preferences and personalities dictate the content we consume, including music, news, and advertising; virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Cortana manage our relationships with technology in a way that feels more human; and artificial intelligence even shapes our relationships with each other, as social media apps selectively promote posts, and by extension people, that they deem likely to catch our attention.
As technology inevitably improves, and artificial intelligence becomes even more deeply ingrained into our lives, the number of problems it creates will only expand.
Despite bringing us convenience and entertainment on an unprecedented scale, AI has already been shown to negatively impact our overall sense of well-being. Social media, which is designed to bring us closer together, has in many cases had the opposite effect, as heavy users of social media report feeling lonelier and more likely to negatively compare themselves to their peers. And as artificial intelligence recommends news based on what it observes about our preferences, we are more likely to consume information that supports the beliefs that we already hold, instead of considering new and challenging points of view.
The relationship we currently have with artificial intelligence is highly complex. But as technology inevitably improves, and artificial intelligence becomes even more deeply ingrained into our lives, the number of problems it creates will only expand. Though many of the fears surrounding artificial intelligence popular in science fiction involve AI becoming self-aware and capable of improving itself, one does not need to look that far into the future of the technology to predict the societal issues that can arise.
Take, for instance, the development of AI systems that use neural networks and deep learning. Such technologies can produce results that were difficult to imagine being generated by a computer even a few years ago. So-called “deepfake” programs allow users to digitally impose the face of a celebrity or politician onto an actor, making them appear to say things that they did not actually say – and these videos can look so convincing that they are nearly impossible to distinguish from reality. A similar technology can be used to generate speech in the voice of a specific human being, as in the case of Not Jordan Peterson, and this, too, is utterly convincing. In a media landscape where it’s already difficult to differentiate good information from bad information, the growing ease of use and popularity of such technologies will only worsen the impact of fake news.
Even professions commonly thought of as requiring a high degree of human intellect are at risk.
Another imminent concern of AI’s impact involve jobs that can be automated or replaced. As self-driving vehicles improve and surpass the safety and efficiency of human drivers, industries will look to replace the jobs of truckers with computer-controlled machines, putting nearly 300,000 jobs at risk. And as natural-language processing software improves, customer service positions could be replaced by virtual assistants both over the phone and at retail locations. Even professions commonly thought of as requiring a high degree of human intellect are at risk, as technologies such as IBM’s Watson are making headway in replacing the labor performed by doctors and lawyers.
While this portrait of the future seems grim, there is cause for optimism as well. Last year, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of several hundred experts in the field of artificial intelligence to assess their predictions about the impact of AI on society. While many experts warned of the dangers of the technology, some were hopeful, particularly when it comes to health care – as software programs get better at diagnosing and recommending treatments for diseases, more people can have access to resources to improve their health, and self-driving cars can enhance the freedom of mobility of the elderly and disabled. And as automated labor replaces jobs and becomes increasingly integrated into the workforce, the potential for generating wealth expands, and if economic systems are structured to enable that wealth to apply to a larger number of people, issues resulting from poverty can be addressed.
Expansion of artificial intelligence is an inevitability, but the negative effects don’t have to be. Though it requires a tremendous collaborative effort, preparing for, and adapting to, a world shaped by as-of-yet unknown technologies will become an increasingly obvious necessity. As such, the dangers of developments in the field of AI can be transformed into opportunities for expanding human happiness.
Tyler Olhorst is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. You can reach him at inquiries@thenationaldigest.com.
