Blog #10 - The Age of AI

       The development of artificial intelligence and learning machines has been at the forefront of discussion within our society since the beginning of 2023 as ChatGPT, an AI software, was made available to the masses in November of 2022.  After watching the documentary, “In the Age of AI” I learned that companies like Google have been using

machine learning algorithms for many years now. This means that the company uses people's past searches to generate what a person may be looking for in the present or future. As these types of technologies continue to advance there are several questions we as a human race must answer. We need to address issues and concerns over privacy and security not only on a personal and individual level but also at the National level for the safety of our country. 

At a small college in Goshen, Indiana a group of leaders assembled in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of the impact that artificial intelligence is having and will continue to have on not only us as a race, but on our planet as well. AI’s true power is mining the data of our personal experiences. Molly Kinder raised some vital points such as the institution of electronic ordering machines at restaurants taking away the job of being a cashier. When Kinder was discussing this point it opened my eyes to just how many roles have been taken over by technology as machines can perform these tasks for the company without needing any type of payment. I was taken by surprise when she was explaining how women disproportionately hold the jobs that are at the highest risk for automation. This means that women are at the greatest chance of losing employment as AI tech begins to take over more and more basic roles for brands and companies. 

The workplace of the future is going to demand many new and different skills along with abilities that won’t be accessible to all. A person’s financial situation is going to play a large factor in whether they will be able to afford the training necessary to acquire the needed knowledge. The current lack of economic stability within the US along with the disruption of employment people are facing is creating a toxic environment where machines are

leading our world while real people fall through the cracks. It has become apparent that big-name brands and companies have shifted their focus to efficiency and how they can accomplish their goals while being as highly efficient with the least amount of workers possible. 

Since doing research for this blog post my fear and anxiety surrounding the future has most definitely increased. I learned that the economic inequality in the US has been increasing for nearly 30 years with the wealthy getting richer and the poor becoming more impoverished. AI will only further and deepen this separation within our society as it takes the role of the middleman. I was also very alarmed to hear Harvard Business School Professor, Shoshana Zuboff, explain how in the beginning it was people using social media and people searching Google for information. However, today we are living in a world where social media is using us and Google is searching the population for information rather than solely being the search engine. Zuboff also explained the new phase of the economy that she thinks we have entered,  known as “surveillance capitalism.” This explains how the private human experience of each individual is truly a free source of materials that can be shaped into predictions of human behavior and then used in various ways to promote products and steer society’s interests.