AI'S FUTURE: TRENDS, IMPACTS & ETHICS

In October 2024, Trent University hosted the inaugural Groarke Debate, where two AI experts, Dr. Lai-Tze Fan and Dr. Makhan Virdi, discussed AI’s promises and perils.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, driving innovations such as personalized medicine and efficient supply chains. As it becomes central to decision making, an important debate arises about whether AI is a friend or foe to humanity. An exploration of current trends sheds light on these concerns.

One trend is its impact on the workforce. Dr. Makhan Virdi, lead research scientist at Science Systems and Applications, Inc. and science adviser at NASA’s Atmospheric Science Data Center at the Langley Research Center, expressed optimism, suggesting that AI could boost productivity by automating repetitive tasks, giving people the freedom to focus on more creative pursuits.

However, Dr. Lai-Tze Fan, Canada Research Chair in Technology and Social Change and associate professor at the University of Waterloo, emphasized that it is about more than productivity. She noted that there is a real concern that AI could worsen societal inequalities by displacing jobs, particularly in low-wage sectors.

Ethical and political challenges, including biased facial recognition, reinforce inequalities. Attempts to fix these biases with more data or technological solutions often fail to address these issues. Fan noted, “You’re taking outdated information and using this data, which may no longer represent societal values, to predict the future.”

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, making the environmental impact of AI a critical concern. AI has helped sustainability by improving agriculture and monitoring ecosystems, but these sustainable benefits are not without a cost, as the carbon footprint is significant. Virdi noted that training a language model could produce carbon dioxide in amounts equivalent to the lifetime emissions of up to five sedans, and interacting with AI systems like ChatGPT draws on resources such as water for cooling data centres. Balancing benefits with environmental costs is crucial for sustainable practices.

AI shows promise in education. Last year, Fan started a project where she taught seventh and eighth graders to use generative AI art tools, stressing the importance of critical use. “AI can be a personalized form of education, but it doesn’t mean that AI replaces teachers,” she said. “You still need to use critical thinking skills.”

Ultimately, AI holds immense potential and its future impact will depend on how humanity chooses to harness it for the greater good.