TECH4GOOD
Author Joanna Maciejewska once said, “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”
Her words sum up what ordinary people like us expect AI to do for us: make us better humans. How about bringing food to the table?
Amidst all the noise and hype it generates, I have decided to stop writing about AI in the meantime and leave the conversations to experts. The recent Nobel Prizes awarded to AI breakthrough researchers in Physics and Chemistry also added new dimensions to the continuing discussions, including debates.
I have to continue advocating for adaption. In the last few weeks, I have been asked to discuss AI and the future of learning, business, and humanity in events. I was amazed at how detached the audience was about the subject. At the start of each talk, I always got the impression that AI, for most of them, would be the last thing they would care for—until I told them AI was not about the future anymore because it was upon us now.
As we are now seeing, efficiency, convenience, and personalization have become the middle names of AI. It is no longer a futuristic concept but a part of our daily lives, quietly reshaping the world without us noticing it. Yes, AI is revolutionizing our lives today in big and small ways. But as AI becomes more sophisticated, many questions begin to bubble up: Will AI make us better or lesser humans? Will it help solve poverty and hunger? Or is it going to boil us alive, metaphorically speaking?
We have all heard the tale of the frog being slowly boiled to death. If you place a frog in boiling water, it jumps out immediately. If you put it in cold water and slowly heat it, the frog remains blissfully unaware until it is too late. This is a metaphor for how gradual change can be imperceptible until it becomes irreversible. As AI creeps into every aspect of our lives, we might be at risk of becoming those unsuspecting amphibians. What are the signs that AI is turning up the heat?
If you are starting to trust AI more than humans, then you are probably beginning to lose your humanity. While AI can be a valuable tool, it is essential to remember that, at the moment, it is not entirely infallible. If you are becoming more and more detached from human connections, it is also a sign that AI is starting to replace real-life interactions.
It might be time to unplug if your social media feed seems eerily tailored to your innermost thoughts. AI is becoming increasingly adept at understanding our behaviors and preferences and using that knowledge to manipulate our online experiences. You are not alone if you're starting to feel like a replaceable cog in your office machine. AI is automating tasks at an unprecedented rate and will change the work we know today, which may lead to job displacements. The key is adaptability. We must keep learning, reskill if necessary, and stay ahead of the curve.
Many business people are beginning to believe that if you throw AI at any problem, it will be easily solved. This is a very dangerous mindset. Even AI can have its off days. We risk losing our ability to make critical decisions when we rely heavily on these digital darlings. They are just tools. We need to continue staying sharp and involved.
How do we avoid being boiled? Balance, foresight, and awareness are the keys to a harmonious relationship with AI. Let us all be mindful of how we use AI. Avoid relying on it too heavily, and always be aware of the potential consequences of our actions. Blindly trusting everything AI tells us is a sure path to being boiled. Let us always question the source and fact-check every piece of information before accepting it as a fact. Let us look at AI as a partner, not a replacement. Use it to enhance capabilities and not to overshadow them. Let us keep our critical thinking skills sharp and always have the final say.
We must approach its integration with caution and awareness to reap its benefits without becoming a metaphorical frog soup. After all, staying vigilant does not mean we can not enjoy its power to make us better humans. What is essential is that we keep an eye on the water’s temperature.
The author is an executive member of the National Innovation Council, lead convener of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), vice president of the Analytics and AI Association of the Philippines, and vice president of UP System Information Technology Foundation. ([email protected])