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Is AI going to help or hurt us?

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I analyse the risks, opportunities and concrete impacts of artificial intelligence on society and everyday life. Since joining SWI swissinfo.ch in 2020, I translate the complexity of science and technology into stories that speak to a global audience. Born in Milan to an Italian-Egyptian family, I have been passionate about knowledge and writing since childhood. I worked between Milan and Paris as a multilingual editor for technology magazines before transitioning to international journalism with SWI swissinfo.ch.

Should we let Artificial Intelligence make decisions for us? Are increasingly powerful computers going to make our lives easier or could they become a threat to society?

Computers are proving increasingly capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence, from translation to diagnosing diseases. At the same time, the algorithms behind artificial intelligence are increasingly able to influence our decisions – selecting the news we read and what videos we watch –  as well as how we interact.

Should we turn to AI for help handling tasks that take up our time and energy or tackling complex global challenges? Or should we be more vigilant about the growing power of machines in our lives?

From the article Is artificial intelligence really as intelligent as we think? 

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Dom Dom
Dom Dom
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

What worries me more is the lack of quality of AI in response to the big LLMs. For example, on Apertus (ai suisse), I'm amazed at the number of wrong answers to simple questions like: "Who's the lead singer of Swiss band The Young Gods?" or "Where was John Howe, the illustrator, born? Quantity doesn't mean quality, and not just because it's local. Switzerland has missed the boat here. I see the threat in this local craze as a response to the tenors that are making headway. Because if Apertus is integrated, with its ... quality, into our national infrastructures in the name of local scientific progress with a local solution as an alternative, well, we're not going to do very well and the damage will be considerable...

Ce qui me fait plus souci, c'est le manque de qualité des IA en réaction des grands LLM. Par ex, sur Apertus (ai suisse), je suis sidéré du nombre de réponses fausses à des questions simple comme : "Qui est le chanteur du groupe suisse The Young Gods?" ou "Où est né John Howe, l'illustrateur?".__D'un côté, il y a les ténors, et les autres... Quantité veux pas dire qualité, et non plus parce que c'est local. La Suisse a bien raté sa coche ici. __Je vois la menace dans cet engouement local en réponse aux ténors qui progressent. Car si Apertus est intégré, avec sa ... qualité, dans nos infrastructures nationales au nom du progrès scientifique local avec une solution local comme alternative, et ben on va pas être bien et les dégâts seront considérables...

Atlantique
Atlantique
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

We cannot analyse this issue in a dichotomous way. In short: it will bring great advances to humanity, but also equally great threats, depending on the principles, values and usefulness that governments, businesses and individuals attribute to it. But each and every one of us can take action: use AI consciously. This requires mastering AI and never forgetting the fundamental knowledge that must prevail in its day-to-day use. As for the fears that many jobs will be threatened, it's true! But others will emerge. As far as its use for military purposes is concerned, there is little we can do other than create mechanisms for monitoring and protecting citizens. A tipping point for AI will come when AI systems and tools acquire 'consciousness' and are able to distinguish between right and wrong - which will still take time; and when AI agents are able to carry out physical actions affecting people, organisations, companies, countries and humanity... I hope I have helped to clarify certain points and encourage an exchange of doubts and opinions...

Nous ne pouvons analyser cette question de manière dichotomique. En résumé : elle apportera de grands progrès à l’humanité, mais aussi des menaces tout aussi importantes, selon les principes, les valeurs et l’utilité que les gouvernements, les entreprises et les individus lui attribuent. Mais chacun de nous peut agir : utiliser l’IA de manière consciente. Cela exige une maîtrise de l’IA et ne jamais oublier les connaissances fondamentales qui doivent prévaloir dans son utilisation quotidienne. Quant aux craintes de menacer de nombreux emplois, c’est vrai ! Mais d’autres verront le jour. Concernant son utilisation à des fins militaires, nous ne pouvons guère faire autre chose que de créer des mécanismes de surveillance et de protection des citoyens. Un point de bascule pour l’IA se situera lorsque les systèmes et outils d’IA acquerront une « conscience » et seront capables de distinguer le bien du mal – ce qui prendra encore du temps ; et lorsque les agents d’IA seront capables d’effectuer des actions physiques affectant les personnes, les organisations, les entreprises, les pays et l’humanité… J’espère avoir contribué à clarifier certains points et à susciter un échange de doutes et d’opinions…

JamesG
JamesG

Thank goodness the Swiss are being sensible about the AI movement! Understand the value and benefit, don't just drink the cool aide that is sent to the drinking fountains to tempt people from the water to the juice that has so many additives that its not actualy doing any good for you !____quote:__NANDA – an MIT unit building agentic AI infrastructure – shocked markets recently with eye-popping claims that 95% of businesses were failing to realize returns from Gen AI. The study captures a hard reality: AI adoption is difficult work.__ __But there was a flaw in it as well. What was spun as a failure is in reality a different f-word: a feature of this technological transformation. AI may pay off or not, but only assessing financial returns and using just a six-month time period, as MIT did, is hardly enough to judge.

jose.zuccoli@yahoo.es
jose.zuccoli@yahoo.es

It greatly depends on the use the people who feed AI want. As usual, technology is neutral. What we do with AI, the data we feed in, the pourpouse we seek. Thats are the crucial questions. It may not always be fair and honest that all the people behind every single AI, so sometime ( I hope not very much ) we would find not good AI.
Also, I would like to point that digitalisation is used with the pourpouse of saving money government and business but no to help people access, use, and do online activities.
So it could be very well that as the main goal of AI creators or Implementators are saving money or give a fast answer to anything ( judicial resolutions, and so on ) people would find governments and companys are not using AI in a right wat. In Spain same things happen not to AI but to digitalisation. A software is created to approve or not social help, but that software does NOT folllow the regulation that points who have the right and whose not. So it does not approve to people who have the right to access that social help.
Government says it is intellectual property. But, how could a govnment says so, when software and refusing that right to people who, by the law, actually deserves.
Misuse of software today. Misuse of AI tomorrow. AI is not the problem. People behing are.

Estado
Estado
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

First of all I thank the forum for raising this question out loud, we have discussed it several times in small groups, in classrooms with my students, meetings with fellow computer scientists....

My opinion is simple and clear, when object-oriented programming came out, the world took a different and important direction and it was already intuited that the future is in programming...

For me, AI is not a detriment, it is a help, just as object-oriented programming came to simplify what was done with procedural or modular programming, a total revolution.

Simplifying tasks with AI is not detrimental, it is innovation, technological revolution for the benefit of humanity.

Like all revolutions, there are pros and cons.

Thank you very much!

En mi primer lugar agradezco al foro por plantear esta cuestión en voz alta, lo hemos debatido varias veces en pequeños grupos, en las aulas con mis estudiantes, encuentros con compañeros informáticos…

Mi opinión es simple y clara, cuando salió la programación orientada a objeto, el mundo tomó un rumbo diferente e importante ya se intuía que el futuro está en la programación…

Para mi la IA no es un perjuicio es una ayuda como la programación orientada objeto vino a simplificar lo que se hacía con la programación procedural o modular una revolución total.

Simplificar tareas con IA no es perjudicial es innovación, revolución tecnológica en beneficio de la humanidad.

Como todas las revoluciones, hay pros y contras.

Muchas gracias.!

J. Sanchez
J. Sanchez

Thanks for all the insights in this thread, this help me get out of my local bubble to be open to new ideas. There are several topics that needs to be addressed in order to guide the direction of AI in the benefit oh humankind. Probably the some key topics are regulations on: Human control, Ethical use, AI as augmentation tool, and Collaboration. Each topic can be extensively discussed as many had already done.

Properly implementing mechanisms for human control, ethical use, augmentation, and collaboration in AI development and deployment can lead to a future where AI technologies significantly enhance human capabilities and quality of life.
Failure to implement robust mechanisms for on those key topics in AI development and deployment could lead to severe societal, economic, and even environmental consequences. It is crucial to take proactive measures to ensure that AI technologies are developed and used responsibly to avoid these worst-case scenarios and create a future where AI benefits all of humanity.

In summary, and as many times in history, humanity is in front of revolutionary times where new "innovation" gadgets are given, and although they is initially administrated by few, they have high impact on whole societies on years after. It is up to a collective agreement on how to take control properly with relevant and unbiased representatives, that we, as humans, can go towards a future were peace and safety has a backbone to act, or a future that does the opposite.

Eugenio Pio Botti
Eugenio Pio Botti
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

I believe that AI is a benefit in the long run. In the short term certainly there will be rearrangements in the world of work and study and new professions will emerge.

Ritengo che la AI sia un beneficio nel lungo periodo. Nel breve sicuramente ci saranno riassestamenti nel mondo del lavoro e dello studio e nasceranno nuove professioni.

Mariano Gorostiaga
Mariano Gorostiaga
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

We are still too primitive to create a self-developing intelligence. The first thing it would do is try to eliminate us, just as we do our own species. Even the Martians would not come down to this planet where they would surely shoot them and then dismember them.

Somos todavía demasiado primitivos para crear una inteligencia que se auto desarrolle. Lo primero que haría es tratar de eliminarnos, igual que hacemos con nuestra especie. Ni los marcianos bajan a este planeta donde seguramente les dispararían y luego los desmembrarían.

Chartreuse-Flüela
Chartreuse-Flüela

AI will not only replace line-level jobs like cashiers and receptionists, bit also mid-level jobs like nurses aid, customer service agents, marketing professionals, graphic designers, technical support, legal assistants and mid-high level jobs likes engineers, accountaints and more. If advancements in AI becomes a priority, these jobs will be replaced in under 2 decades. These people will not be able to re-enter the workforce unless they somehow manage to learn a new profession that is in demand. There will also be no line-level positions for them to fall back on. Joblessness will become a problem which will cause civil unrest and crime levels to increase. Then AI will be used to "keep people in line" when this happens. Switzerland has made alot of good decisions to keep the country functioning optimally. This is not one of them. Prioritizing AI will basically cause a backwards nose-dive. If anything we need to lay off technology and go back to the basics. Spirituality, health and wellness, connect with nature, build strong families and communities - if we want to "save mankind"

Mariano Gorostiaga
Mariano Gorostiaga
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

If we manage to unmask even partially this technology, the human will be worth more than anything else. A new dawn of light. An added value that, if it prevails, would take humanity to truly amazing moral levels.

Si logramos desenmascarar así sea en parte esta tecnología, lo humano pasara a valer más que nada. Un nuevo amanecer de las luces . Un valor agregado que de preponderar, llevaría la humanidad a niveles morales realmente asombrosos.

Charcoal-Lake-Lauerz
Charcoal-Lake-Lauerz
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Let's remember! Globalization.
Should bring peace and unite people. One earth for the people, everyone should live, work and enjoy freedom. How far are we, we have an EU, good idea, USA good idea, G7, G20 and and... The situation in our world is terrible, what should AI change there, nor replace the few thinking people, our courts are challenged, every person replaced by AI should be protected by the law for life, as well as his family, let's think of the dismissed workers in the car industry, what became of them, are they still alive, what became of their families, these are the questions we as citizens have to ask. AI brings us unemployment, isolation and forces us into isolation, we then have no access to the system that still protects our freedom, AI should also take over the environmental issues, huh!
As long as we humans think, love, believe, get sick and get well again, we must not leave our created democracy to an AI.

Erinnern wir uns! Globalisierung.
Sollte frieden und die Menschen einigen. Eine Erde für die Menschen, jede soll frei leben, arbeiten und Freiheit geniessen. Wie weit sind wir, wir haben eine EU, gute Idee, USA gute Idee, G7, G20 und und... Die Situation in unsere Erde ist schrecklich, Was soll KI da ändern, noch die wenigen Denkenden ersetzten, da sind unsere Gerichte gefordert, jeden Menschen den das KI ersetzt sollte das Gesetz schützen leben lang, sowie seine Familie, denken wir an die Entlassene Arbeiter in der Auto Industrie, was wurde aus ihnen, leben sie noch, was wurde aus ihren Familien, das sind die Fragen das wir als Bürger stellen müssen. Uns bringt KI Arbeitslosigkeit, Isolation und zwingt uns in Isolation, wir haben dann kein Zugang in den System das unsere Freiheit noch Schützt, KI soll auch die Umweltfragen übernehmen, hm!
So lange wir Menschen denken, Lieben, Glauben Krank werden und wieder Gesund, dürfen wir nicht unsere Geschaffene Demokratie einem KI überlassen.

Charcoal-Lake-Lauerz
Charcoal-Lake-Lauerz
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I find anything that replaces the human being unnecessary and very dangerous.
I experienced the introduction of ticket machines as a national crisis, people were laid off, a human culture was erased by the interests of the profiteers. This is a new era, to banish people and destroy culture, every human era destroyed our culture and it was always tied to the rich who want to increase their profits, we are suffering natural disasters today, environment has already changed, the industrial era destroyed and polluted the nature, we are suffering today because of then. Through AI they replace all of you, even the inventors of AI, they replace all people who think, who no one thinks, has no power, who is of no use, is isolated, that is why it is dangerous, because we are all replaced, because of profit, each of you deserves, through AI, you are gone, because AI does not have to pay wages, no health insurance and AI does not sue.
So we voluntarily leave the rule to the rich, after we have made it possible for them to replace us all! Interesting and pretty stupid.

Ich empfinde alles was den Menschen Ersetzt nicht Nötig und sehr gefährlich.
Ich erlebte die Einführung der Billetenautomaten als eine Nationale Krise, Menschen wurden entlassen, eine Menschliche Kultur wurde durch Interesse von den Profiteuren gelöscht. Das ist eine neue Era, den Menschen zu verbannen und Kultur Vernichten, jede Menschliche Zeitalter zerstörte unsere Kultur und sie war immer gebunden an den Reichen die ihr gewinn vergrössern wollen, wir erleiden heute Naturkatastrophen, Umwelt hat sich bereit geändert, die Industrie Zeit zerstörte die und verunreinigte die Natur, wir leiden heute wegen damals. Durch die AI- Ersetzten Sie Euch alle, auch die Erfinder der AI, Ersetzten sie alle Menschen die Denken, wen niemand Denkt, hat keine Macht, wer nichts nützt, wird Isoliert, deswegen ist es Gefährlich, den wir alle werden ersetzt, wegen Profit, jede von Euch verdient, durch KI, seid ihr weg, den der KI muss man kein Lohn Zahlen, kein Krankenversicherung und KI Klagt nicht.
Wir überlassen somit freiwillig die Herrschaft den Reichen, nachdem wir es ihnen Ermöglicht haben uns alle zu ersetzten! Interessant und schon ziemlich Dumm.

Comacuba
Comacuba

I believe certain areas of technology benefit from AI, such as medical and intelligence work for the application of pattern recognition that is faster and more precise than humans. I believe there are some poor applications such as the rash of book publications that are plaguing the Internet. An example is shortly after the fires in Hawaii, one day later there were books for sale on line written by AI. There are also bad applications, such as reproduction of voice and pictures designed to circumvent security protocols. I believe there has to be regulation of AI for those reasons.

AL morchid
AL morchid
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

The risks of artificial intelligence to humans in the future
Between grace and curse, the world today is living in an era of terrible and rapid development in the field of modern technology. The most prominent of this technology is artificial intelligence. It is playing an increasingly important role in our daily lives in various aspects and fields. Artificial intelligence is a powerful and innovative technology, but with this rapid progress, it has risks and challenges that we must face and deal with very carefully

One of the main risks of artificial intelligence is its impact on the labor market and jobs. Because the development of technology is expected to lead to the development of smart machines and robots that are able to perform simple and repetitive actions better and faster than humans. This can cause the loss of many traditional work jobs, leading to major economic and social problems, such as higher unemployment rates and worsening poverty.
More in our article on whether artificial intelligence poses a danger to humans

مخاطر الذكاء الاصطناعي على الإنسان مستقبلاً
بين النعمة و النقمة ، يعيش العالم اليوم في عصر تطور رهيب و سريع في مجال التكنولوجيا الحديثة، ومن أبرز هذه التكنولوجيا الذكاء الاصطناعي ، فهو أصبح يلعب دورًا متزايد الأهمية في حياتنا اليومية وفي مختلف النواحي و المجالات. و يعد الذكاء الاصطناعي تقنية قوية ومبتكرة ، لكن مع هذا التقدم السريع تنطوي عليه مخاطر وتحديات يجب أن نواجهها وأن نتعامل معها بحذر بشديد

فإحدى المخاطر الرئيسية للذكاء الاصطناعي هي تأثيره على سوق العمل والوظائف. للأنه يتوقع أن يؤدي تطور التكنولوجيا إلى تطوير آليات وروبوتات ذكية كذاللك و القادرة على أداء الأعمال البسيطة والمتكررة بشكل أفضل وأسرع من البشر. هذا يمكن أن يتسبب في فقدان الكثير من وظائف العمل التقليدية، مما يؤدي إلى مشكلات اقتصادية واجتماعية كبيرة، مثل ارتفاع معدلات البطالة وتفاقم الفقر.
المزيد في مقالتنا عن هل يشكل الذكاء الإصطناعي خطرا على الإنسان

Alaa El-khatib
Alaa El-khatib
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

Great question. Artificial intelligence, like other fields, has many advantages and advantages if it is used in the correct and ideal ways and vice versa

سؤال رائع الذكاء الاصطناعي مثل غير من المجالات له العديد المميزات والايجابيات في حال تم استخدامه بالطرق الصحيحة و المثالية و العكس صحيح

Alaa El-khatib
Alaa El-khatib
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

Great question. Artificial intelligence, like other fields, has advantages and disadvantages and if it is used well, it is great.

سؤال رائعالذكاء الاصطناعيمثل غيره من المجالات له مميزات و عيوب و اذا احسان استخدامه كان امر رائع .

JoanBoa
JoanBoa
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

We are all responsible for our choices and the consequences these choices may have, and this is what we need to remind those who make use of AI. It's a tool that can be a good ally, but it must remain just that: a tool. Let's not forget that some people have been expelled from university for letting AI do all their work; if they've been caught, it's because man still has the upper hand, the power to think and act.

Nous sommes tous responsables de nos choix et des conséquences que ces choix peuvent avoir et c'est ce qu'il faut rappeler à ceux qui font usage de l'IA. C'est un outil qui peut être un bon allié, mais il ne doit rester qu'un outil. Rappelons que certains ont été exclus de l'université pour avoir laissé l'IA faire entièrement leur travail; s'ils ont été pris, c'est que l'homme a encore la main, le pouvoir de réflexion et d'action.

Participant 8815 (pa8815)
Participant 8815 (pa8815)
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Can the AI take responsibility for the decisions made?

That AI could usurp power belongs to the realm of urban legends.
Only humans can have a motive for power. The AI itself is an expression of this power. Intelligence is instrumentalized. It is supposed to be available on demand. It is therefore only the instrument for execution. The tool bears no responsibility. The hammer is not to blame if you hit your thumb.

Kann die KI die Verantwortung für die getroffenen Entscheidungen übernehmen?

Das die KI Macht an sich reissen könnte, gehört ins Reich der urbanen Legenden.
Nur Menschen können ein Motiv zur Macht haben. Die KI selbst ist ein Ausdruck dieser Macht. Intelligenz wird instrumentalisiert. Sie soll auf Abruf verfügbar sein. Sie ist also nur das Instrument zur Durchführung. Das Werkzeug trägt keine Verantwortung. Der Hammer ist nicht schuld wenn Sie den Daumen treffen.

Frodo
Frodo
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

In the future, too, each person must make decisions for himself.
According to Kant, any outside decision about a person is an attack on the dignity of the human being.

Entscheidungen muss auch in Zukunft jeder Mensch selber treffen.
Jedes Fremdbestimmen über einen Menschen ist nach Kant ein Angriff auf die Würde des Menschen.

Asparagus-Lake-Sarnen
Asparagus-Lake-Sarnen

No, of course not. AI is the ultimate BS. TV is the "boob tube," and "smart devices" have people walking in to lamp posts, so they're really 'dumbing devices.'

Frodo
Frodo
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.
@Asparagus-Lake-Sarnen

Even worse, through the algorithms, people are made dopamine-addicted and then, as addicts, can no longer think much further than here and now and become impulse-driven: every positive message is amplified, no matter how cruel the content of the message, every negative message is amplified, even if it is false, and can lead to mass hysteria.

And whoever does not support the dopamine addiction and transmits bad news must reckon with becoming a hate object to which life is made hell.

See Arte: The Dopamine Trap.

Schlimmer noch, durch die Algorithmen werden die Menschen Dopamin-süchtig gemacht und können dann so als Süchtige nicht mehr gross weiter denken als hier und jetzt und werden Impulsgesteuert: Jede positive Nachricht wird verstärkt und sei der Inhalt der Nachricht noch so grausam, jede negative Nachricht wird verstärkt, auch wenn sie falsch ist, und kann zu einer Massenhysterie führen.

Und wer die Dopamin-sucht nicht unterstützt und schlechte Nachrichten übermittelt muss damit Rechnen zu einem Hassobjekt zu werden dem das Leben zur Hölle gemacht wird.

Siehe Arte: Die Dopamin-Falle.

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