Living in the Age of AI

With great power comes great responsibility. This has proven to be the case with AI technology. Although AI is still considered to be fairly new, we are at a point where we must start focusing on boundaries and regulations. In the Age of AI, the documentary only confirms what many of us know to be true. AI is a great concern for individual privacy. As stated in the video, AI can be used as a powerful tool to make our daily lives easier, but many companies are taking notice of the capital benefit that AI can provide and are using it for capital gain instead. 

In watching this documentary, I learned that AI continues to drive a further wedge between the 1% of the wealthy and the economically disadvantaged causing further inequality. I also learned that AI has become an important tool for companies. More jobs are being eliminated at an alarming rate creating a bigger economic imbalance. This is creating a terrible cycle because people who are already at an economic disadvantage can not afford to learn and study new trades after losing their jobs. I was surprised by just how much surveillance China has and the danger of sharing it with other countries like Pakistan, Venezuela, and Ecuador.  As frightening as that is, it is equally as frightening on how facial recognition is being used by law enforcement without our consent. 

Individuals have lost their rights to privacy. We are at the mercy of who controls the power and what they choose to do with it. It affects us as an entire society because AI has become part of our daily lives and we are being placed at a disadvantage without our consent. AI is not being governed or regulated at the level of importance it should be. It affects our entire society and citizens. There can be election interference that distorts democracy, loss of jobs that affect the economy, and invasion of privacy which can lead to identity theft. Better controls need to be set in place. 

What is meant to be a useful tool has become a tool used against its users to target them against what they search and use. Companies continue to alter these algorithms for profitable gains. If no regulations are set in place to protect the public, what was meant to be a useful tool to help us, can turn into something that will hurt our society instead.