In recent years, the conversation about artificial intelligence has increased across various sectors, from business and education to national security and healthcare. The dominant narrative suggests that AI is not just advancing but an unstoppable force shaping our future. Proponents argue that integrating AI is essential to remain competitive and relevant. However, experts from the Ethics Center of UMass Boston are challenging this view, advocating a more measured and critical approach to AI adoption.
Defining perspective: AI is an unstoppable force
Arguments tend to suggest that technological advances such as AI are inevitable once initiated. Advocates in various fields argue that resistance to AI integration is ineffective, compared to resistance. Historically opposed to the mechanism of the industrial revolution. This view emphasizes the necessity of adopting AI to avoid obsolescence, whether it is business operations, academic courses, or national defense strategies.
AI across sectors: hopes and obstacles
Business: The output is checked
AI champions in the business world warn that companies do not accept the general AI risk of falling behind their competitors. However, recent analysis, including the July 2024 report by EconomicsPoint out that AI has not yet provided significant productivity improvements for businesses. This suggests that the expected economic benefits of AI integration may not be as immediate or significant as expected.
Higher Education: Teaching Tool or Pedagogical Threat?
Universities have invested heavily in AI initiatives, aimed at preparing students for a technology-driven job market. While AI tools such as chatbots simulating historical figures (such as the Plato chatbot) offer creative teaching methods, there are growing concerns. Studies report that AI is beginning to replace traditional assessment tools, such as writing assignments, potentially undermining important skills such as writing and independent thinking. The drop in college essays raises questions about the long-term educational impact of relying on AI.
Science and Medicine: The Promise Is Not Perfect
In scientific and pharmaceutical research, AI holds significant promise, especially in areas such as protein structure analysis and drug discovery. These applications can revolutionize the treatment of diseases and medical imaging. However, technology is not without setbacks. For example, AI-based predictions for severe cases of COVID-19 have proven unreliable, and there is evidence that some medical professionals may be relying too much on AI diagnoses at the expense of clinical judgment. These challenges highlight the uncertain effectiveness of AI in critical healthcare applications.
National Security: Balancing the Arms Race and Ethical Concerns
The national security domain presents a compelling case for AI investment, given fears that rival countries such as China and Russia are advancing AI-powered autonomous weapons. Proponents argue that in order to maintain strategic parity, significant investment in AI defense systems is necessary. However, the spirit of this arms race may lead to ethical scrutiny, disproportionately affecting poor countries and prioritizing potential competition over AI cooperation and arms control.
Defining Challenging Technologies: A Call for Nuance
Experts at UMass Boston argue that a deterministic view oversimplifies the complex relationship between technology and society. They warn against accepting the inevitability of AI without examining the significance of its benefits and drawbacks across different domains. Two important considerations underpin their argument:
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Interests Given: Companies and entrepreneurs who develop AI have a financial incentive to demonstrate the technology is indispensable. Examining the motivations behind the promotion of AI is essential to distinguishing objective evaluation from profitable narratives.
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Historical background: Drawing parallels with the growth of smartphones and social media, which were later considered for the impact on mental health, experts emphasize that social acceptance does not guarantee its unchallenged integration. Responses to smartphones in educational settings demonstrate perceived technological evasion that can change when negative effects become apparent.
Lessons from the Past: Changing Technology Paths
The rapid adoption of smartphones and social media is a historical lesson in the potential dangers of technology without adequate oversight. Initially hailed as transformative, these technologies later faced criticism for their impact on mental health, especially among teenagers. Educational institutions have responded by restricting phone use to protect the welfare and interests of students. This change indicates the possibility of reversing or revising technological trends in response to emerging evidence of danger.
About UMass Boston’s Applied Ethics Center
The Center for Applied Ethics (AEC) at the University of Massachusetts Boston is a distinguished institution dedicated to exploring the ethical dimensions of contemporary societal challenges. Founded by Professor Nir Eisikovits, a renowned philosopher specializing in the ethics of war and technology, the Center operates within the Department of Philosophy at UMass Boston. Its mission is to promote research, teaching, and public participation on ethical pressures, especially those caused by technological advances.
The Center’s faculty and students are respected experts in their fields. For example, Professor Eisikovits has written many influential works, including “The Theory of Truces” and “Glory, Shame and the Drive to War”. His research focuses on moral and political issues that arise after war, the culture of war, and the ethics of technology. In addition, the AEC produces the “Ethics in Action” podcast, where Professor Eisikovits engages in discussions on the intersection of ethics, politics, and technology, further expanding the Center’s outreach and impact.
source: Discussion, University of Massachusetts Boston, Apple Podcasts