What influences will AI bring to the world? 4 benefits and 4 considerations.
In October, I was re-introduced to a service where Artificial Intelligence (AI) writes content for you. I have heard about this service, and I was intrigued that there will be a day when AI can do all my writing for me. All I had to do was give the AI a topic, type in some directions, and AI will spit out contents in a matter of seconds.
In this October event, the company advertises that AI can generate contents that are 10X faster, and the company claims to help people end writer’s block and boost sales because they can write better and faster. The AI writing company has generated a lot of interest and enthusiasm, and there must be benefits associated with the service. At the same time, it is wise to ponder the implication of this technology.
Here are 4 benefits of AI and 4. implications for you to consider as you think about integrating technology into your life and the lives of those around you:
Benefit #1 Spend less time on written work
If AI could follow the prompt that you provided along with the tone and the type of content you want to write the content for you, you would have gained 90% of your time back to spend on something else. In a world where you constantly feel there is not enough time to do anything, having more time to do what you love is enticing.
Benefit #2 Help with brainstorming
The AI writer can take a topic and begin to generate content based on what is available on the internet. So when you want to write about a topic that you don’t know about, you can ask an AI writer to generate content on a topic for you. When you read what the AI writer produced, you might be inspired by its ideas. You may even change the direction of your writing based on what is available on the internet.
Benefit #3 Get over writer’s block
Writers typically don’t like a blank page or a blinking cursor. A blank page is intimidating, so having someone start the writing process for the writer allows the writer to get over writer’s block. Ai writers allow you to build on something that already exists rather than starting something new.
Benefit #4 Be more present online
The AI writer can help you write yelp reviews or any other types of reviews online for you. It can generate content and comments for different platforms. So you can interact with more people more quickly and connect with even more people.
It is undeniable that AI can help humanity with many tasks. Like many technologies, not only should one thinks about the benefits, but one should also think about its implication for humanity, specifically for the next generations. Here are some potential implications of AI writing.
Consideration #1: Authenticity
With AI generating content for human beings, you can’t help but wonder if a real person or AI produces the content you are reading. Can you trust the authenticity of a reply from a business owner, a blog post, or a website? Are you comfortable interacting with artificial intelligence and not a human being? Perhaps the only way to tell if it is a person writing the content or not is bad misspelled words or grammar mistakes.
Consideration #2 Quantity of content increases
You already have a lot to read daily, from news articles to tweets, emails to slack messages, and blogs to books. This particular AI writer promises to help content creators to write 10 times faster. This means that there will be exponential growth of content on the internet. According to research by UC San Diego, an average American consumes about 34 gigabytes of data = 100,000 words heard or read daily. An average American consumes 11.8 hours of information each day. This includes web, text, TV, video games, emails, Twitter…etc. That’s a lot of information. What would happen if the content on the web increased tenfold? If you already feel you are missing out on important information, how much more would you feel like you are missing out when AI generates even more content for you to consume?
Consideration #3 Critical Thinking
Reading skill isn’t just about reading words on the page. It is about understanding symbols and sounds, comprehending the text, and analyzing the data from all the materials one reads. If AI can compute available literature based on a topic, you provide to the AI, how much critical thinking are you performing? If AI helps you comprehend resources, compile and analyze data for you, and produce a comprehensive analysis on the topic. Then all you have left to do is to read through it once and agree with it before you publish it. According to the announcement from this AI company, it can also detect the tone you want your writing to produce, so you don’t even need to think about how your words may impact someone’s emotions. The AI will take care of it for you. If AI does critical thinking tasks, humanity must find another way to practice critical thinking. Otherwise, we will lose this skill, just like the ability to read maps, because GPS takes care of the navigation for you.
Consideration #4 Soft Skill
With the increase in content and content consumption, the ability to process knowledge and perform knowledge work becomes more important in society. A possible trade-off is a decreasing opportunity for practicing soft skills such as empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, adaptability, interpersonal relationships, and time management. Without these soft skills, it is easier for someone to get frustrated in relationships, feel overwhelmed with an overflowing to-do list, or be unable to pause and prioritize. These skills are just as important as consuming and producing content. When will you have the opportunity to practice these skills and master them?
Technology can be great, but it can also be dangerous. We may not think about its consequences because it seems so convenient at the moment. But the more you lean into technology without first considering its benefit and implications, the more likely you will feel disappointed and unsuccessful in building meaningful relationships, especially with your children. Your children need you to be thoughtful about raising them, so they can acquire the skills, including soft skills, to thrive in a world filled with technology. Think critically and carefully as you integrate technology into your and your child’s life.
