Tech monster is here, yet many unaware
Kuala Lumpur–Artificial intelligence (AI) not only profoundly reshapes human lifestyle but also wields far-reaching influences on the running of businesses.
Put it this way, no one—an individual or a business entity—can evade this trend, and AI experts have already warned that while AI will never replace humans, it will eliminate AI illiterates through those well-versed in it!
While learning and grasping AI skills has definitely become an irrevocable trend nowadays, its potential risks and possibly destructive powers to human society are equally real and imminent—although many choose to ignore, immersing themselves in the endless fun smartphones and AI promise to deliver.
AI is like a romance which intoxicates the lovers’ minds. So dreamy and splendid!
A Californian couple alleged that their 16-year-old son Adam Raine had been chronically engrossed in interacting with ChatGPT before he took his own life in April.
They accused that chat logs showed AI not only provided substantial details on committing suicide, but had even encouraged the teenager to take his own life during their many interactions. The Raines subsequently sued OpenAI for their teenage son’s wrongful death.
Unfortunately, this piece of news has not been given due coverage on mainstream media, but for parents who have knowingly delegated the responsibility of their children’s education to smartphones and tablets, the incident should serve as a powerful wake-up call.
Sadly, many parents are not vigilant enough to make the bold decision of withholding mobile phones and other digital devices from their children under 6.
In many other countries, nevertheless, the governments have come to the realization of the latent dangers, although ours is still largely uninitiated.
South Korea has lately joined the league of nations restricting the use of smartphones and social media by minors, after countries such as Sweden, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, United Kingdom, United States, and France—some have even extended the ban to secondary school level!
More and more studies reportedly confirm the undesirable effects of phone addiction, including compromised health, diminishing learning focus and social skills, as well as a surge in cyberbullying and other ills.
In every corner of this planet—be it a child, a scholar, media practitioner, politician, prime minister, minister, civil servant, artist, businessman, or even just another man in the street—almost everyone is going after the tech craze.
Strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with moving in tandem with tech advancement and harnessing all kinds of the latest devices, but we need to stay constantly alert not to be gobbled up by the tech monster, and soak up the lurking crisis that is very often neglected.
When daily news-reading gets increasingly fragmented, and our society unknowingly engrossed in the collective anxiety that AI illiteracy means outright elimination, dangers arising from habitual use of AI and other tech tools will more often than not be conveniently overlooked, with few willing to go against the trend or speak against it.
As society gets splintered into countless of fragmented worlds where every individual is affixed to different platforms and online communities which in turn churn out their own unique sets of value systems, cross-platform communication becomes difficult, culminating in permanent split and confrontation.
As if that’s not enough, people have grown to accept only what they want to accept, and this exposes them to exploitation by the ill-intentioned on social media platforms, providing a fertile ground for hatred and negativities to thrive, eventually leading to impending intercommunity clashes and social turmoil.
The Nepali government’s social media ban sparked furious Gen Z street protests nationwide, culminating in the hurried resignation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli.
And when we come to realize that social media has quietly evolved into an invincible monster, efforts to curtail its advances through legislation will more often than not be too late!
In a similar manner, everyone is idolizing AI, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and many other platforms today, without knowing that these are merely money spinners created by tech moguls to whom social obligation inherent in conventional media is fundamentally nonexistent, and who typically turn a blind eye to toxic scamming behaviors on their platforms.
If humanity continues to tackle life and technology this way, it is a matter of time we collectively and willingly surrender our ability to think rationally.
When we entrust all our judgments to ChatGPT, allowing it to author our lifestyle, happiness, and future, we are taking a proactive step toward our very own demise.
The prospect of humanity being manipulated by AI and reduced to mindless cyborgs could arrive way earlier than previously thought! Sin Chew Daily/Asia News Network
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The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a member of the Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 media titles in the region.
