The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) over the last several years has been simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. When I am asked; Is there anything inspiring, encouraging, hopeful in what you have learned about/experienced with AI so far? I know I need to do more research and possibly try to think outside of my personal fears and needs. I must admit I have been leaning toward one side over the other. Due to professors’ warnings about incorrect information produced by AI, problematic results regarding personal biases encrypted into AI programs, and fears of overreliance, I have found myself hesitant to cheer the rise of AI on.
In searching for inspiring, encouraging, and hopeful qualities about AI, it is important to recognize that AI is an umbrella term. In the opening line of “You look like a thing, and I love you,” we are reminded that “artificial intelligence” means a lot of things, depending on whether you’re reading science fiction or, selling a new app, or academic research. While sci-fi AI is often used as a villain or obstacle, AI as a tool can be incredibly effective.
I personally use AI every day without even thinking about it. For example, I use spellcheck. Apple helps me with spelling and grammar errors in every text, and the same is true for every sentence I write for class—not including handwritten work, of course—as my commuter also uses AI.
Students in class seem to be using AI in the same way. Several students stated through Padlet that they use spellchecking AI, “I use grammarly to fix mistakes that I may have made in my writing.” and “I use AI the most with advanced grammar and spellcheck.” Some even go a step further, “I will paste [my work] into ChatGPT and ask it to check if my grammar or sentences make sense.” Though I’m not doing the grading, I don’t see this as academic dishonesty. I see a student who has done all the “brain work” and uses AI to help them with grammar and spelling after they have put all of their thoughts down.
Spellcheck and other AI are being used as an aid for people with ADHD, according to one ‘super user’. “Ross, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and uses they/them pronouns, says they’ve more than doubled their productivity by using AI for almost everything.” This is a perfect example of an effective use of AI that I wrongfully neglected. Just because I don’t struggle with something—to the same extent— doesn’t mean other people couldn’t use a tool to help them. Imagine judging someone for using the elevator when they haven’t been given any stairs. I may use writing aid AI sparingly, but that doesn’t mean I should damn those who don’t.
In a class discussion about the public perception of AI, my fellow student Claire Lustig created an incredibly effective metaphor. She describes the rise of AI as a mythological Pandora’s box. Humanity has come upon this infinitely powerful entity that can change our lives in ways we can not anticipate and can not take back. I would like to argue that humans’ ability to adapt to technologies and innovations they once feared is inspiring, encouraging, and hopeful in and of itself.
I grew up in an era of exponentially increasing technology. Of course, all generations have major and minor technological advancements that sometimes rewrite people’s entire livelihoods. My generation grew up in the age of the internet–-an innovation that has conquered every aspect of our daily lives. This did not go without an adjustment period from the public. Why should we expect anything less from the introduction to AI? To tackle this moral dilemma of mine, I will dive into how and why humans adapt to change—like artificial intelligence.
Not only is the rise of AI comparable to that of other technologies, such as the Internet, television, and mobility aids, but this is also not the first time the public has feared these large changes. We discussed in class that new technological advancements often lead to moral/social panic, at least at the beginning of their introduction to the public.
In response to my group’s conversation, Beth began to tell an interesting story about the first Matrix movie, which shifted my perspective of AI. Beth explained, “That [the] film has a lot of phones in it, both relatively new cell phones and lots of fetish-y shots of landlines with twirling, whirling phone cords. The scholar’s research had revealed that when [the] telephone first came on the scene, moral panic ensued.” This is a remarkably similar situation to the fears surrounding AI. Humans are great adapters by nature (I confidently say that as someone dedicating my life to studying how and why they adapt as an anthropologist).
If this is true, why do humans struggle with change so much? Well, to use circular thinking, it’s because we are humans. We will fear the unknown until we produce the urge to conquer it. Beth later explained why people were so afraid of something that now seems so crucial to our everyday lives. The public feared young people would use phones to talk to each other naked. While yes, this most undoubtedly happens, it has not led to the destruction of civilizations as people predicted. (Note that I’m being hyperbolic here, but people have certainly responded to AI to this level of catastrophe).
While the intellect and innovation necessary to create artificial intelligence are unfathomably impressive in their own right, what inspires, encourages, and brings me hope the most about AI is how humans have been able to face their fears and begin to adapt and mold it to their needs. When looking back at how humans first encountered modern technology, such as the telephone or the internet, it can be natural to judge their stubbornness. Though I believe AI’s path can be potentially dangerous, I now feel the need to resist the urge to judge it. How can I judge a technology that has helped people with problems I don’t need help with, such as ADHD? It’s all fun, games, and critical thinking until you’re the old dinosaur cursing at your Alexa, blaming the youth for letting technology take over without acknowledging the good it has done for others.