I get an annual mammogram. For the past two appointments, I forked over an extra $40 to have my mammogram read by an AI agent in addition to the radiologist. All indications are that the AI can spot problems earlier and more accurately than a human. At my physical exam, my doctor asked me why I paid for the AI enhancement when a radiologist was already assigned to read my mammogram. I responded that I wanted an extra pair of eyes for something so consequential. He seemed concerned that AI might one day replace a human being. And so was I. But I’m also aware that the AI is less fallible than the human reading my mammogram. The AI has accumulated much more knowledge than the radiologist and isn’t subject to fatigue, distractions or even bias that could cause it to miss something. I think that was the right decision on my part even if AI eventually eliminates the job of human radiologists who read mammograms. My objective is to get the best possible healthcare that I can afford.
But many other jobs are also in danger because of AI. My son is seeing AI take over jobs in his field of medical recruiting because AI can read resumes and schedule interviews. AI is capable of providing more effective personalized education for children. My husband enjoys listening to AI generated stories on YouTube almost every day. I’ve heard AI generated songs using the voices of famous singers. My son and my daughter use AI at work to write emails, develop reports, create training manuals, and to make presentations and videos. My kids have even created AI generated coloring books, children’s videos, and one daughter had AI illustrate a children’s story she wrote. Just this week, my son used AI to help him write the toast he delivered at his friend’s wedding. Admittedly, I was impressed.
But as we discovered when the Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFJ, Jr. provided a consequential medical report written by AI, it was riddled with completely fabricated references to studies that had never been done and experts who either didn’t exist or didn’t conduct studies that AI attributed to them. The creators of AI call this kind of problem which plagues the industry “hallucinations”, and they have yet to figure out how to correct the problem because they don’t quite understand how AI actually works.
Another problem was revealed when AI companions, designed to be affirming, endorsed suicide to some of its human companions. That’s a problem that also needs immediate fixing. If any other product had these disturbing and possibly fatal flaws, it would be taken off the market without hesitation, but not AI. There is simply too much money and too much power at stake.
For example, AI can write software in minutes, saving individuals, businesses and nations-states millions of dollars and the months it takes for humans to produce the same outcome. Of course, this is why so many software coders and engineers have lost their jobs or are in danger of losing them. AI even makes computer games. And I wonder how many people like me play backgammon against AI on a regular basis. Others enjoy playing chest against AI. AI has beat the best human chest players and won at Jeopardy with ease. And AI is now playing the role of companion and giving life advice to many.
We already use AI on a daily basis without even realizing it. I ask Siri questions all day long and have her set timers, make calls, and turn off applications for me. AI answers the calls for most businesses and provides basic information. AI helps airline pilots fly and land planes. It provides us with driving navigation and other assistance if we don’t yet trust it to do the actual driving, which it is capable of. For years, we have seen AI at work with robots and drones and the automation in factories that displaced so many workers. The military employs robots in combat, logistics, and reconnaissance operations. So, none of us should be surprised that Elon Musk is creating an army of robots. The application of AI is now on steroids.
Some are predicting the end of work and the need for universal basic income to keep the economy running. The optimistic say this will free us to better enjoy our lives. Others say it will leave us devoid of purpose and miserable. The truly skeptical, including the grandfather of AI himself, Geoffrey Hinton, are sounding the alarm about the dark side of AI and its capacity to do harm if not regulated and programed against hurting humans.
War under AI is different and no one has taken the steps needed to prevent it from one day declaring war on us. Already, we see drones being used, not only for surveillance, but to attack people and to drop bombs. These kinds of attacks can be used anywhere and on anyone. Individuals have reported being followed by drones. Others have their privacy invaded on a regular basis by drones flying over their backyards or looking through their windows. What if a drone was charged with assassination? Or worse, what if AI one day decided that humans should be eliminated? Because they reason and draw conclusions and now build software, we have given them the means to end lives, and they might find their own motive. We literally lack the means to shut them down. Think of Hal in the movie, “2001 Space Odyssey”.
And of course, the problem of deep fakes is upon us. AI can mimic the voice and image of anyone and place them in a location and make them say or do anything. On the positive side, my daughter instructed AI to use her likeness and voice to create an orientation video for her new employees. While that was a great tool to save time and money in a business, it is also scary when it comes to our criminal justice system or the political sphere. Eventually, we won’t be able to tell whether a video is real or fake. Imagine how difficult it will be to prosecute a person for a crime or to prove one’s innocence. Or imagine how difficult it will be for political candidates to establish their own platforms when others can easily contradict their claims using a deep fake video.
Already, the scams using the voice and image of family members or celebrities are everywhere. Real people are losing their life savings to these scams. My husband and I no longer respond to text messages or phone calls without verifying them with a call to the actual person or company supposedly behind the text message or email. The people behind these deep fake scams know the people and the companies we interact with and are getting better and better at imitating them.
Some are saying that the 2024 election was stolen using software designed by Elon Musk. I don’t know whether or not it is true. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised. And I do know that Trump claimed on several occasions before the election that he already had enough votes to win and afterwards he claimed that the election was rigged in his favor and that in coming elections we won’t even need to vote. I notice that no media outlet is commenting on his statements nor acknowledging the inconsistencies in voting at certain locations and they are outright ignoring the whistleblowers trying to speak out.
Whatever the final outcome with regard to the 2024 election, the time is now to seriously think about AI and its positive uses and possible dangers. We will need regulations to put up specific guardrails to protect humanity. However, AI lobbyists are pushing Republican lawmakers to prevent states from passing AI regulations for 10 years. That’s not just shortsighted, but dangerous. Yes, we are in a race with China, but we must also consider safety.
So, as a citizen, let’s push for regulations. We should also start thinking about the kinds of jobs that will remain after AI sucks up all the manufacturing, driving, and information driven jobs. I’ve heard people say that we will still need plumbers for some time to come. I suppose that we’ll still need athletes, coaches, pastors, cooks, theater actors, hairstylists, live concert performers, doctors and nurses, bartenders, and manicurists. Being social beings, we’ll continue to crave the human interactions that is currently satisfied at work, church, clubs, and school. Perhaps any job where human warmth and touch are preferable to robots might be safe. And I suppose any of the creative arts will become much more valuable when they are produced by actual humans and labeled as such.
I hear there are people considering lives devoid of technology as a lifestyle choice. Some are moving to places to live “off the grid”. Others might start whole communities, much like the Amish, leaving the newest technology behind. It is clear that the future is upon us, and that each of us needs to consider how we will thrive if not simply survive in it.