AI is this newfangled tech powerhouse that is throwing society a curveball. It's got unimaginable power, but oversight? Barely there. We're all about tech making life a breeze, but AI tags along with its own set of headaches. We dug into a Frontlines AI documentary in class which provided me with a lot of insight into the ever-evolving world of AI. The documentary began with a 2016 showdown in South Korea, pitting the Chinese go game champ against Google's AI, Alpha Go. China was cocky, but Alpha Go pulled a move that left jaws on the floor. The AI bagged four games, the champ got just one. Game on, AI vs. human smarts.
There has been significant talk about AI stealing jobs. But AI isn't just stealing jobs, it's messing with society as a whole. Robots replacing humans in the job market has implications: how will a Robot pay taxes? They don’t pay taxes or give back like humans which means productivity's up but pay's down. I don’t think we should blame offshoring. Instead, its automation punching the middle class in the gut. One example of this is in D.C where cashiers are being replaced by automatic self checkout systems. Additionally, individuals with math and science degrees are put at an automatic advantage compared to those who are not.
But there are more money issues with AI that might be separating the extremes with regards to rich vs. poor. The rich get richer with AI. Google was a dud until they peeked at how users clicked. While it was secret until 2004, they revealed a 3,590% revenue boost from 2000 to 2004. Behavioral prediction is their gold mine, shaping actions like puppet masters. Facebook's in on it too, swaying elections by nudging folks to vote a certain way. Although that's not all, the Government is in on it too: China's got street cameras, Big Brother style, tracking citizens' every move. In a rebellious spot, they're using AI to spot supposed terrorists. Now this is cool! Privacy is certainly taking a big hit. Facebook's has lost billions of dollars for privacy breaches and Zuckerberg's speeches haven't sparked real change. Some tech wizards are bailing on fakebook, fearing the power they've unleashed. Documentaries like The Social Dilemma shout about privacy perils, but we're far from a fix. I think there's still plenty of work ahead.
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