🤖 Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has become the trending topic across all industries, sparking heightened debates around its positive and negative impact on global society.
Although the concept of AI has been around since the late 50s, it was usually relegated to highly specialised and niche scientists or sci-fi aficionados, such as myself.
Personally, sci-fi literature has given me plenty of food for thought to approach this incredibly complex topic (thank you, Philip and Isaac), especially when it comes to the ethical implications related to the use of Artificial Intelligence.
🧠 I am sure I am not the only one feeling overwhelmed trying to absorb as much information as possible about Artificial Intelligence (in a Matrix sort of way) while also developing a solid ethical framework to put safeguards in place for the threats GenAI poses in terms of misuse, misinformation and creative appropriation. Threats that are very similar to those (still unsolved) posed by the internet and social media.
As architect and philosopher Paul Virilio said: “When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane, you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution…Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.”
How do we address biases in AI to ensure fair outcomes? How can AI access be made equitable to avoid social inequalities? How do we integrate AI across industries while minimising job displacement and ensuring a fair transition in employment?
These and many more questions spring to mind when envisaging a possible future where AI is seamlessly embedded into our daily lives. Regardless of whether we skew more towards a pessimistic or an optimistic view of the future (depending on which episode of Black Mirror you refer to. But mostly pessimistic), there is no doubt that AI is a disruptive force and is here to evolve faster than we can fathom, as it happened with the internet and social media. Ignoring its capabilities is a mistake no business can afford.
But how do companies start to craft their position around AI and effectively integrate it into the day-to-day business?
📣 As communication experts, we believe in the relationship between humans, their skills and ethics and the capabilities offered by new technological tools.
No matter how futuristic it is, AI is a tool we invented to augment our capabilities, not to replace us. In our specific sector (as for many others), AI has the potential to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and drive innovation.
🦾 AI can assist us with time-consuming tasks and overall research, enabling us to dedicate more energy and time to strategic and creative tasks. However, it is down to our human skills to ensure every output conveys a meaningful message in line with our company’s values and quality standards.
Hence, we need to craft a strategic path to integrate AI that works for us, as jumping on a trend unquestioningly or ignoring it for too long can affect the business’s competitive edge. We also must ensure all employees have the right support and guidelines to avoid compliance risks (such as privacy or copyright violations) and operational risks (as tools like ChatGPT still get many basic facts wrong).
In conclusion, integrating AI into any business model requires an evaluation of its potential benefits in terms of business profits and an assessment of its ethical implications to ensure they align with the company’s ethos.
Great benefits for our society lie ahead, but only if we retain human ethical control and are keen to adapt our safeguards to an ever-evolving scenario.
✍️Written by Marco Savo, Digital Strategist at Stand.