Blog Post #10: Living in the Age of AI

After watching the documentary about artificial intelligence by Frontline on PBS, it is safe to say that no one should blindly put their trust in technology, people are tracking you, and the internet is forever. 

For starters, in the documentary, it is said that the standard of living has gone down by 15% due to advances in technology. Whether you're a tech lover or a hater, I think that is still a concerning statistic. 

The beginning of the documentary explores the fact that AI was able to swiftly outsmart its human opponent, Lee Sedol, in a game of Go by using moves no humans have ever thought of using before. 

As a result, Sedol, previously known as a Go champion, resigned from the game. According to the documentary, the AI taught itself how to play Go based on the history of other games and by studying moves. 

The documentary raises a lot of good points about both the benefits and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence. A few interviewed sources give their takes on how it affects jobs, and other sources tap into how your digital footprint can be used for profit, such as in the case of companies selling your data. 

Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, once said at an IPO, "We know where you are, with your permission," and continued to list out other qualities Google knows about a person with their permission. While people are searching Google, Google is searching them too. I found it interesting that Eric Schmidt declined to be interviewed for the documentary. What is he hiding? 

Shoshana Zuboff said that whenever we search for stuff on the internet, we are leaving "digital traces" of ourselves that anyone can have access to. Zuboff also said, "Industrial capitalism claimed nature," and based on the way things are now, I agree with her. 

Another problem Zuboff mentions is the danger presented by wealthy people buying and selling your data. She says that if someone has enough money to buy people's data, buy scientists, and buy companies, only problems await and people's privacy is put at risk. 

AI is stealing human jobs by working quicker and more productively than human employees. Companies are turning to machines to crank out riches for them. The documentary showed viewers a grocery store where machines were retrieving items for human customers. 

To make matters worse, Molly Kinder said that women hold the job positions today that are at the highest risk of being lost and given to machines. As a woman, that terrifies me. Imagine spending the earlier years of your life studying in school and building upon your work experience just to be turned away and replaced by an AI employee. 

The sad reality is that AI has already begun to take jobs that people may not expect it to. According to Kate Crawford of the AI Now Institute, AI has weaseled into healthcare, education, and criminal justice, as well as shopping. 

AI is also heavily affecting the world of politics. The documentary states that the power of AI could pose a threat to democracy. We are given a glimpse of how this technology is used and abused by the government in China. Research scientist, Xiao Qiang, says, "China is on its way to building a total surveillance state." 

The Chinese government has already installed millions of cameras with facial recognition to keep track of every move a citizen makes and shame them publicly for wrongdoings, such as jaywalking. 

The documentary also says that homes in China have a barcode posted outside the door to show what type of citizen is living there. Quite an invasion of privacy. 

Regarding the relationship between AI and business, investor and adviser to Facebook, Roger McNamee, explained why companies value our data so much and how it helps them. 

McNamee said, "Behavioral prediction is about taking uncertainty out of life. Advertising and marketing are all about uncertainty. You never really know who's going to buy your product...until now." 

Big companies, including Google and Facebook, hold onto our preferences, our searches, and our interests in order to spit them back out at us in the form of suggested items we might want to purchase. If we choose to purchase these suggested items, we are then showing companies exactly what they want to see - that behavioral prediction works for them. 

These companies can then aim their products toward a target audience or group to increase sales. For business, it's a win-win. For us as individuals, any information we put about ourselves on the internet is no longer just ours. Our information alone is a business now. 

McNamee also said, "We have to recognize that we gave technology a place in our lives that it had not earned." I think this is one of the most important quotes in the documentary. 

In addition, Roger McNamee spoke with anchors at CNBC as part of its business segment, Squawk On The Street, on May 30th. McNamee discussed the troubles of AI, how it compares to cryptocurrency, and how certain generative AIs such as ChatGPT are "B.S. generators". Feel free to check it out here or below. 

Lastly, before we insert AI into every inch of our everyday lives out of convenience, we must educate ourselves fully on how technology like this works and be aware of the chaos that can ensue if it becomes too powerful. If we fail to do that, then technology will have earned its place by outsmarting humans.