‘This isn’t a game’: How AI is becoming a ‘truly destructive technology’

The burgeoning field of AI has been hailed as revolutionary – but some of the tech world’s most influential figures fear it is being left to run amok<br><br>—- —-<br><br>Artificial intelligence is orchestrating health worker lay-offs, firing factory floor bosses and wresting decision-making away from managers. It’s taking on the mantle of human leaders with speed – and few are discerning what its impact may be.<br><br>The growing global reliance on AI, many believe, has been accelerated by a drive for productivity. Some see the need to uplift AI-infused technology to preserve gains as many countries grapple with ageing populations. But alarm bells are being sounded by some of the sector’s leading figures.<br><br>Critics have lambasted the unchecked expansion of AI-based tools. They warn of workdays marred by AI-centric interactions, the disintegration of human connections and a hike in loneliness, health costs and societal divisions. Anxiety also grows as AI seeps into unemployment benefits systems. Critics say that AI will erode accountability by placing human decision-making under the blanket of algorithms.<br><br>The technology is seen as a double-edged sword. In Sweden, AI-powered chatbots are eroding hospital jobs as they perform clerical, customer support and maintenance functions. In the US, medical workers are losing power of diagnosis and decision-making as AI makes recommendations. Just a few voices in a much larger debate have raised concerns that the march towards AI-driven work could hollow out the ‘human aspect’ of work, creating a world where workers’ power is usurped in pursuit of ‘progress’. But such voices are increasingly ‘rare’.<br><br>While such criticisms usually go against the tide, some say they are beginning to be heard. Critics are now questioning the values that drive AI – arguing that the rush to new technology is a residue of a global drive that has destroyed work-life balance and entrenched social divisions. Some say that AI should be held back. They say that the more powerful AI becomes, the more it must be harnessed by rules and regulations.<br><br>People argue that the lack of oversight allows abusive use of AI: to automate mass redundancies; crush low-skilled jobs; cover up long working hours with algorithm-driven workarounds; and generate false truths or propaganda. Such signs are being spotted in the operating theatre – where AI is slaying the jobs of radiologists and surgeons; in police stations – where AI-driven pattern recognition has accentuated the vulnerability of ethnic minorities; and in high schools – where it has created ‘perfect’ essay writers. But that’s just the start.<br><br>AI, critics say, is a “truly destructive technology.”<br><br>Information from The Observer and AP.