Artificial Intelligence: as a part of the assiduous and (I’d like to think) intelligent workforce, this is the bane of my existence. As a writer, I abhor AI because it undermines my hard-earned education by providing well-written nonsense at the drop of a hat. (While you may question the word ‘nonsense’ its use will become evident as you read on). AI is automating and computerizing the world one step at a time, and we really need to question how far it will go before we let it take over our lives. To many, AIs are ‘a God-send.’ But are they, really?
Let’s take the recent advent of ChatGPT and then Jasper AI, CoPilot and so on. What they have done is to take factual information, run it through an algorithm and then produce pieces of writing that any student can hand in without having to do the actual work. While this might seem unbelievably tempting, young learners may not question the downside of this – ‘what have I learnt from this process?’ And ‘Will AIs always produce the expected result?’ Because, if we are not learning in our education, then it is not really a full-fledged education. And so, we release into the world writers who are spurred on by AI who will be over-reliant on a piece of technology that will, at some point, not work for them. What we need to understand is that while these AIs churn out information that seems coherent, to the discerning professional the loopholes and discrepancies will be glaringly obvious. However, for companies who are, for instance, in the Advertising business this could be a money-making machine and a lucrative one at that. Content Writing as a service can be quite expensive. But when you ask AI to do it for you, all it takes is to cut out the middle-man and get the job done with minimum hassle. And well, there goes one job opportunity.
Hilarious but frightening
A teacher-friend recently shared the product of an AI bot that had been instructed to ‘Write a five- paragraph essay on the theme of death in Romeo and Juliet in Donald Trump’s voice. The result was hilarious- it started with, “The theme of death in Romeo and Juliet is a total disaster, believe me (…) and then out of nowhere, BAM! They’re both dead.” Granted, it is understood that no student in their right mind will put in a prompt such as this to write their school essay; however, it just demonstrates what AI can do. And that is indeed frightening.
What else can AI do besides write our stories and our content for us? Research shows that the jobs that are most vulnerable to AI replacement are those of Data Entry, Telemarketing, Factory work, Driving, Cashiering, Travel Agent, Bank Teller, Accountant, Customer Service Representative, Market Research Analysts, Journalists, and the list goes on. This is quite starkly most middle-class jobs that put bread on the table for many families. These are also (for the most part) jobs that have always valued and rewarded experience. So, what do the AI bots bring to the table that human beings cannot? Simply put, they do not tire out. This means value-for-money. It also means that there will be very few mistakes made due to overwork, which in turn means no room for human error – again, value-for-money. Furthermore, repetitive and tiresome tasks can be handled without a problem, and this is what most employers dream of. But the question is, is this enough to wipe out the human presence from jobs that have always valued communication and trust?
Deficiencies of AI
A prime reason that AI will never truly get the job done is because it lacks emotional intelligence. This is an essential part of why businesses work, because the ability to understand another human being’s needs and experiences is paramount to providing them with a service that not only satisfies, but keeps them coming back for more. In addition, AI can only work with the data given to it. If it is not fed the required data, it cannot complete a job well. For instance, if a new scope of work is needed and the AI has not been given the algorithm or the data to produce it, the result will fall short. By extension, this also means that AI cannot be creative unless one inputs the required data. Overall, AI cannot replace the human touch, because at the end of the day we all rely on interpersonal communication, empathy and understanding. Human beings are wired to give and receive information and to think and create in a manner that is not limited to algorithms and data. A personal anecdote seems apt here. While recently giving into my hunger pangs at a popular fast-food restaurant, I became increasingly irritated by the fact that I had to enter my order on a digital screen. What I really wanted was to talk to an actual person and find out what the best value meal to order was and discuss the specials, rather than enter, and then re-enter my order each time I kept hitting the wrong button. I was also furious that this process took twice as long as if an actual person had handled it.
Rest Assured
AI is meant to only be a support to human skills, and this is important in using it wisely. However, according to political theorist Tom Parr, some people will still find themselves replaced by AI in the job market. However, he has also been quoted by the Research Firm CORDIS as saying that, “I think the chances of technology making middle-class workers redundant is relatively low. But the chances that this technology will change the kinds of jobs that are available in the future are much higher.” What he is saying is that while writers and photographers are now increasingly becoming alarmed with what AI can do, these are also jobs that require a certain amount of human touch and knowledge. So, without the proper understanding that goes into these professions, it is unlikely that AI can take over these jobs completely.
Well, go ahead and heave a sigh of relief. Your job is safe, for now.
(Anouk De Silva)