Technology--the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• Published in: Peace and freedom (1978) Vol. 82; no. 1; pp. 4 - 25
• Main Author: Kurkoski, Eileen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Women's International League for Peace and Freedom 22.03.2022; Women's International League For Peace and Freedom
• Subjects: Algorithms; Artificial intelligence; Automation; Computational linguistics; Distance learning; Employment; Language processing; Machine learning; Natural language interfaces; Quantum computing; Robotics industry; Robots; Skilled workers; Skills; United States > US
• ISSN: 0015-9093

AI applications such as AIDR (Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Response) are being deployed to preempt natural disasters using different pattern recognition algorithms and also to mitigate losses by aiding in disaster relief work.2 The Bad: Problems with AI & Measures to Address Them Notwithstanding its tangible and monetary benefits, AI has serious problems which inhibit its large-scale adoption.3 Examples of three major problems include: 1.Job Loss Job loss related to Artificial Intelligence has been the subject of numerous business cases and academic studies. Per an Oxford Study, over the next decade the United States is projected to lose more than 1.5 million jobs to automation.4 According to the AI expert and venture capitalist Kai-Fu Lee, 40% of the world's jobs will be replaced by AI-based bots by 2033.5 Low-income and lower-skilled workers will be the worst hit by this change, but no worker is immune. [...]these issues related to job loss and wages can be addressed by focusing on the following measures: * Overhauling the education system and focusing more on skills like critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, since these skills are hard to replicate. * Increasing both public and private investment in training workers so that they are better aligned with industry demand. Here are a few examples: * In high-frequency trading, even the program developers don't have a good understanding of the basis on which AI executed the trade. * An Amazon AI-based algorithm for same-day delivery proved to be biased against Black neighborhoods. * The Artificial Intelligence algorithm in Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) was biased against the Black community while profiling suspects.6 The Ugly: Next Generation Autonomous Weapons Quantum computing (QC) is a general-purpose technology like the steam engine, electricity, and classical computing, Because QC uses quantum bits or "qubits," it harnesses the unique ability of subatomic particles that allows them to exist in more than one state (i.e., 1 and a 0 at the same time), thereby expanding its abilities.