4 Ways AI Might Reshape Societies While the intention of AI advancement is by large good, how the end product is used is totally up to an individual.

Artificial intelligence is and will continue to affect lives and industries. And there is no stopping that.

Technology never changes underlying human traits, it simply amplifies them. While the intention of AI advancement is by large good, how the end product is used is totally up to an individual. Presently, this stands true for AI. It can increase inequality, make sustainability a tougher mark to achieve, and make people complacent. Or it can increase literacy rate, make populations more job-ready, and give expression a new tool.

What AI produces is dependent on what one wants to achieve. Here are four ways in which AI can affect human societies-

Trust and AI

The potential mistrust between humans and artificial intelligence was something which existed even before ChatGPT entered the picture. Yes, a scenario like human-race ruled by machines will not take place anytime soon. However, the misuse of AI, leading to mistrust among citizens, is cropping up rapidly. In recent times, we've seen deepfake be used to create false triggering images, such as Former US President Donald Trump's arrest.

Similarly, a video went viral on Instagram to bring to light the issue of voice mimic scams. Jennifer DeStefano was left shaken when a scammer called her to inform her that her 15-year-old daughter was kidnapped from a skiing trip. But in reality, her daughter was safe, and someone had created a false audio using DeStefano's daughter's voice. Was the voice realistic? "100 per cent her voice. It was never a question of who is this. It was clearly her voice."

So, does the advent of AI signify the demise of truth? Not entirely. This negative use of such technology will threaten trust and truth in society. It can become a tool of political and religious clashes, especially in a country like India. Governments and corporations need to collaborate to keep this in check. So far there is no technology which can detect deepfake.

Art and AI

The rise of visual AI tools such as Dall-E, Midjourney, and ArtBreeder led to the question of what it means to be an artist. With such applications available to the masses, one is not required to be an ace artist nor need proper education to create art. In the early 19th century, the invention of photography was deemed to be a threat to the traditional art of painting. Simply put, the essence of art would have been lost.

Cutting to the 21st century, photography and traditional art co-exist in harmony. One does not enter the other's territory, nor can it. In fact, art has obtained the status of intellectual exercise like never before.

The AI vs. art is similar to what art vs. photography saw. AI will enhance human creativity in art, not replicate it and will further drive inspiration for works to come. AI-generated artwork will not give rise to a new form of art. It's just a simple tool for expression. However, this does not mean artists are not fearful of it.

Furthermore, the AI is trained on a large database of other artist's artwork. This has also led to the question of copyright issues. Legal frameworks need to address AI's use of and implication on art.

Education and AI

When ChatGPT was launched, one of the prime use cases of it was used by students to answer questions. This eventually led to a hue and cry among education institutes. Tools were developed to detect AI-generated responses and answers. However, that's not the solution. AI needs to be harnessed by educators to prepare students for real-world professional environments and to make them real-world-ready.

However, AI is built to cater to the majority which is Anglo centrism in nature. And this defeats the purpose of AI for a country as diverse as India. With 22 national languages, India's vernacular population is losing to leverage AI. This is where India's project of Bhashini comes into play. Launched in 2022, the platform aims to facilitate multilingual access to Indian government services and information. Bhashini also aims to encourage non-English citizens to use the internet in their own language. This will give rise to the non-English- smartphone-using population to access the internet for self-learning and awareness. AI cannot be made available in thousands of languages, but it can enable the thousand-language population to elevate their education and learning.

Jobs and AI

India has an unemployment rate of 7.95 per cent as of July 2023. And Indian manpower has been under a fear of losing jobs to AI. Something similar happened when computers were first introduced in the government sector, which saw labour strikes massively. According to a Microsoft report, about 74 per cent of Indian workers were said to worry that AI might replace their jobs.

However now, one cannot imagine their life without computers, laptops, or mobiles. But one needs to understand the underlying truth about AI- AI won't take away your job, just someone using AI will.

People need to leverage the vast knowledge AI can provide to constantly update themselves with time and skills. In fact, in recent times, new job profiles have emerged in the market pertaining to AI, they are- Prompt engineer, AI product manager, Human-machine interaction designer, and AI auditor.