I Do Not Like AI – Does That Mean I Am Old?

Technology is a beautiful thing, or so they say. Me, I am not so sure. There are many great technological advances. For every benefit, by and large, there is a downside to any invention.

We invented the telephone. Now, mobile phones consume the attention and corrupt younger minds. It has also set up a plethora of abuses, including fraud, scams, and social and sexual discrimination.

We invented the car to get around more efficiently and travel further. But we didn't know where to stop. The cars had to be faster, bigger, and everyone wanted one. Now they are killing machines. They prey on the innocent and exploit selfish behaviour. Speed kills. Delays lead to road rage, and so on.

I can remember when I was at school and university, all my notes were handwritten. I wrote down each university lecture quickly in class. Then, I translated and decoded them in the evening.

I hand-typed my first thesis on a manual typewriter. I did all my research by spending hours reading journals. I made handwritten notes or photocopied the most important ones.

Today, we have AI. Artificial intelligence. The scourge of the century. Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence by computer systems and machines. AI is here to stay, no matter your view. It has already changed our lives in ways that can't be undone.

Every day, AI invades our lives. We have no choice but to accept it. When you buy a lounge suite, a camera, or clothes online, you’ll see ads for similar items for weeks.

I have done some work in the past for AI companies looking to refine and tailor their 'bots.' Very eye-opening. I finally gave up after one organisation turned me down. They said I was “too emotional."

The penetration is slow but steady. Writers often struggle with unemotional AI peers. They think a real story just springs from a prompt given to their favourite AI bot. AI stories lack true emotion. Isn't that the beauty of reading, experiencing the emotions?

Talking to customer service today can feel like navigating a maze of AI questions. AI has well and truly taken over. Do companies think we are fooled because they give them a name?

Surveys show that people are becoming more open to AI. They like it for thinking and finding information. They feel uneasy, however, about AI handling emotional issues. This includes investigating corruption, drafting laws, or deciding on raises.

Over half of 10,000 people in a survey said they don’t want AI flying planes. They also don’t want AI on juries or making important war decisions. Not surprisingly, 86% said they didn’t want AI to do their jobs.

Last year's research found that 88% of organisations use AI in at least one function regularly. That is up compared to 77% in the previous year.

Men seem more trusting of AI than women. 72% of men are fine with AI checking their colonoscopy results. Only 57% of women are fine with AI checking their mammograms. What’s more, 75% of men but only 48% of women are fine with AI doing their jobs.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I like it or not; it is here to stay and is growing stronger every day. Here is my question: If AI takes over all jobs at some point, what will people do?

They can't go on holiday all the time or spend all day at the beach or eating and drinking. If you don't work, you don’t get paid. If you don’t get paid, you have no money. So everything will be done by AI bots, but there will be no one to use their services.

The trouble with mankind is that we have got too smart for our own good. This has come at the cost of decency. Everyone deserves to be treated equally and humanely.

[A/n: Another story on my quest to write at least one story for each of the forty-eight communities. Fourteen to go ]

Till next time,

Calvin