Disruption is Coming

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has been hyped up quite a bit in recent years. Some believe that AI will usher in a new era of prosperity, while others are more cautious and believe that AI could pose a threat to society as we know it.

The conventional wisdom until recently has been that it would be tasks involving mathematics, logic, and procedural processes that would be most impacted. The belief has been that creative activities were ‘safe’ and AI would simply free humans up to pursue the creative tasks that humans do so well. The recent developments with large language models like GPT-3 and image generation with tools like Stable Diffusion have turned that idea on its head. 

The writing is on the wall. The domain of tasks where human performance is superior is shrinking daily. One has to question what, if anything, is ‘safe’.

There is no doubt that AI has the potential to be disruptive, and there are ways in which AI will have negative effects on society. One of the most often cited concerns about AI is that it could lead to mass unemployment, as machines increasingly automate jobs that have traditionally been done by human beings.

This is already happening to some extent, and it’s likely that it will continue as AI technology gets further refined. This could lead to a widening of the class divide, as those who are able to work in jobs that require human skills will become increasingly valuable, while those who are displaced by automation will find it difficult to compete for jobs. In addition to causing unemployment, AI could also lead to income inequality. As mentioned above, those who are able to work in jobs that require human skills will become increasingly valuable, while those who are displaced by automation will find it difficult to compete for jobs.

This could lead to a situation where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. AI could also have other negative effects on society. For instance, it could make it easier for governments and corporations to track our movements and activities. It could also be used to manipulate public opinion by spreading false information or by selectively showing us information that is designed to influence our opinions.

All in all, there is no doubt that AI has the potential to be disruptive. It’s important to be aware of the potential negative effects of AI so that we can try to mitigate them.