Despite the great benefits it brings, there are still many people who think about the harms of artificial intelligence, to the point of pointing out that it will only benefit the most powerful. That's what a recent study by Edelman and WEF says.
A study conducted by the Edelman Artificial Intelligence (IA) Expert Center and the World Economic Forum (WEF) is conclusive: AI will only benefit the most powerful, will harm the most disadvantaged and will cause social imbalances. The report compares the perception of the general public with the opinion of the technological leaders who have an active role in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence, and the results are worrisome?
If we take a little more out of the survey, we note that although 91% of technology leaders and 84% of the general public think that AI constitutes the next technological revolution, the fear persists that, at the same time, it entails a negative impact on society, business or politics. This negative impact would range from intelligent toys for children with a potential invasion of their privacy, discrimination against the population with fewer resources or a loss of the intellectual capacities of humans. Nearly a third of both groups, 30% of the general population and 33% of technology leaders, consider that "deepfake" videos generated with artificial intelligence could lead to an information war and armed conflicts.
The study by Edelman and WEF explores all aspects derived from AI, from the most obvious and positive ones such as a better health or industrial system, to the concerns of widespread adoption. Edelman highlights that "concerns persist about the impact that artificial intelligence could have on employment, such as a massive loss of jobs and low incomes, or a more isolated and individualistic society."
Other conclusions of the report indicate that 54% of the general public and 43% of the technological leaders think that AI will harm the most disadvantaged, and 67% and 75% respectively believe that it will benefit the most powerful. Also, 71% of the general public and 65% of technology leaders fear that artificial intelligence will lead to a loss of the intellectual capacities of human beings, while 74% of the general public and 72% of technological leaders estimate that Devices with AI will reduce the need for people to interact, leading to isolation of individuals.
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Other data from the study conclude that 81% of the general public and 77% of technology leaders believe that advances in artificial intelligence will provoke conservative reactions by a part of the society that feels threatened. 51% of the general public and 45% of technology leaders agree that "deepfake" videos, produced with AI, would significantly erode the audience's trust in believing that no information is true.
Kay Firth-Butterfield, director of artificial intelligence and Machine Learning at the World Economic Forum, says that "from the results of the study it is clear that companies and governments need to take measures to ensure that the potential harm that AI could cause does not entail the loss of the benefits of this technology. The global community must be alert to the risk factors associated with this type of transformation and, at the same time, create an environment where the benefits can be extended to society as a whole. "
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Despite all these reservations, what follows from the answers and the literal quotations from the study is a "desire to know where artificial intelligence will guide us". The "curiosity" wins over the "fear", and this is what drives us forward despite the apparent risks. Will he be right? the authors of the study ask themselves, does Google CEO Sundar Pichai when he points out that AI is probably the most important thing in what humanity has worked after electricity or fire ?. Or Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of the Chinese venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures, and author of "AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order" when in January of this year he stated that "artificial intelligence is going to change the world more than anything in history?