Depending on who you ask, artificial intelligence could be the future of work or the harbinger of the end of the world. The reality of AI technology lies somewhere in between these two extremes. While some use cases of AI technology can be detrimental to society, others have seen the technology dramatically improve their productivity and efficiency.
But artificial intelligence has even more far-reaching implications than improving worker and business productivity. Some use cases for AI have been proposed that could have profound social implications and address increasingly pressing social challenges today.
AI as a force for social good
Education is one area where AI technology has shown great potential to have a positive impact. Teachers are already underpaid and overwhelmed, widespread shortage of teachers contributing to increasing class sizes. Due to these complex issues, teachers often cannot provide individual support to students. AI technology can be used as a supplemental learning tool, helping students who are struggling to get extra help or enriching more advanced students.
Artificial intelligence has also been used positively in the healthcare sector. Because AI models can analyze medical data almost instantly, they can improve diagnoses and predict disease outbreaks. This allows healthcare professionals to significantly improve their efficiency and further democratize access to healthcare. In the medical research sector, AI’s predictive analytics capabilities can be leveraged to facilitate the drug discovery process.
Many of AI’s capabilities can also be leveraged to for sustainability purposes. For example, data analytics helps monitor environmental changes while predictive analytics helps optimize resource management and predict natural disasters. With this data collected and analyzed by artificial intelligence, we can create a safer and more sustainable world.
The gaps in AI that need to be filled
However, AI has some flaws that need to be considered before it is adopted on a larger scale. Beyond the misuse of innovation by criminals for malicious purposes, AI also has pitfalls that users can fall victim to. Without a framework for responsible use of AI technology, we will not be able to harness its power wisely.
One of the main concerns expressed by critics of the proliferation of artificial intelligence is its bias. AI still relies entirely on pre-existing data. Therefore, any bias in the datasets on which the model is trained will be reflected in its results. For example, if a model is trained on data that contains biases against certain social groups, these models can play a direct role in the proliferation of dangerous societal mores.
This use of data has contributed to new challenges around user data privacy. Some AI models use data that users provide them as part of their training process, which could expose user information. Ultimately, users must be diligent and proactive about their data privacy, making sure they understand all data policies, including privacy policies and terms of use, of any platform they use.
Critics have also expressed concern that AI and automation could contribute to job displacement. Automation advocates have countered that while automation would reduce the need for menial jobs, those workers could be upskilled or retrained for roles that oversee the production of an automated process. Ideally, AI should be used as a productivity-enhancing tool, not a cost-cutting tool, but the reality is rarely that clear-cut.
To realize the benefits of artificial intelligence as a tool that can be used to create good in the world, we will need to address some of the technology’s shortcomings. Fortunately, addressing these concerns can be achieved by taking a careful and measured approach to the use of AI. In doing so, we are paving the way for a future where AI can be used to empower human workers to become more effective.
Ed Watal is the founder and director of Intellibusan INC 5000 top 100 software company based in Reston, Virginia. He regularly serves as an advisor to the world’s largest financial institutions. C-suite executives rely on him for IT strategy and architecture because of his business acumen and deep computer science knowledge. One of Ed’s key projects includes BigParser (an ethical AI platform and A Data Commons for the World). He has also built and sold several technology and AI startups. Ed has a strong teaching background and has lectured at universities around the world, including NYU and Stanford. Ed has been featured on Fox News, Information weekAnd NewsNation.
