Artificial intelligence is about to make the pursuit of happiness a lot harder.AI will most likely simplify our daily tasks, but it will degrade our personal lives, according to a new report from Elon University. Errands will take less time, but we’ll see a dip in privacy, relationship quality, mental health, and spiritual pursuits. Experts polled by the university’s Imagining the Digital Future Center warn of a shift in focusing our “human affection, desires, and attention on digital products,” keeping us from enjoying the benefits of human contact.Elon spoke with 328 industry experts from a “wide range of fields” who work in public policy, at think tanks, and in academia, research, private business, and more. They responded to at least one of 25 questions aimed to capture a “broad array of opinions” about the impact of AI by 2040.
(Credit: Elon University Imagining the Digital Future Center)
On a more hopeful note, the experts predict AI will have a more positive than negative impact on healthcare through new diagnostic tools and treatment research. Transportation, higher education, and quality of life in both cities and rural areas could also benefit, they say.Still, while the economy could get a boost, 70% of survey respondents say AI will exacerbate wealth inequality. They also predict a negative impact on election quality (67%), level of civility in society (52%), and the criminal justice system (40%). “What we will see as a boon to us in the future is AI-driven, incredible productivity tools. Alas, they will not do much to reduce inequality or restore fairness in our societies,” says Maja Vujovic, owner, senior writer, and trainer at Belgrade-based Compass Communications.These results then beg the question: Can we consider each of these areas in isolation? How will the landscape of our lives come together in the future?
(Credit: Elon University Imagining the Digital Future Center)
Fear of the technology also plays a role, though it’s unsurprising people fear AI when it raises questions about what it means to be human, and at what point humans may become obsolete.
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“Technology always challenges ethical values rooted in ancient traditions. With AI, the dilemmas will get much worse, very fast,” says Eric Saund, an AI research scientist. However, doomsday thinking can get in the way of solving problems. Most survey respondents point to regulation as the decisive factor in whether AI harms or benefits humanity on the whole. They raise doubts about regulators’ ability to rein in AI, and pose questions about the right approach. Some advocate for global regulations, while others say a local or country-level framework would work better. Others suggest that regulating the use of personal data, not specific systems like ChatGPT, could be important.The White House issued an executive order on AI last fall to begin answering some of these questions, and will soon open up a public forum for comments. The EU also passed the AI Act, which focuses on use of facial-recognition technologies and monitoring techniques for “high risk” systems. However, despite these efforts, bad actors continue to use AI to supercharge the spread of misinformation, robocalls, deepfake porn, and more.
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