AI anxiety: the daunting prospect of mass unemployment

Retro · 14 May 2023

It's an unfortunate truth that technology can wipe out jobs and also force people to retrain for different work, but after a while things tend to settle down and are usually better than before. Having the proper safeguards in place in terms of legislation and regulation is critical, though.

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, its impact on our lives can be a source of anxiety. Will it upend the job market? Will it be used against us in some unforeseen way? While these concerns are not entirely unfounded, they may not be fully justified either, experts say.

https://cybernews.com/editorial/ai-anxiety-grips-uncertain-future/

Tiffany · 15 May 2023

Retro said:
It's an unfortunate truth that technology can wipe out jobs and also force people to retrain for different work, but after a while things tend to settle down and are usually better than before. Having the proper safeguards in place in terms of legislation and regulation is critical, though.

https://cybernews.com/editorial/ai-anxiety-grips-uncertain-future/

I can remember when I was little and hearing my parents talk about the computer industry and that's were all of the jobs were going to be for years to come. The prediction turned out okay careers wise and big industry in IT etc., however the thought of AI taking over human jobs doesn't ring right with me as "this will be okay too". I suppose people will need to retrain in robotics and grow the tech repair industry?

Retro · 29 Oct 2023

Another article on this subject. AI really does have the potential for a race to the bottom like no other technological advancement before it.

A handful of tech companies are jeopardising humanity’s future through unrestrained AI development and must stop their “race to the bottom”, according to the scientist behind an influential letter calling for a pause in building powerful systems.

Max Tegmark, a professor of physics and AI researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the world was “witnessing a race to the bottom that must be stopped”. Tegmark organised an open letter published in April, signed by thousands of tech industry figures including Elon Musk and the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, that called for a six-month hiatus on giant AI experiments.

“We’re witnessing a race to the bottom that must be stopped,” Tegmark told the Guardian. “We urgently need AI safety standards, so that this transforms into a race to the top. AI promises many incredible benefits, but the reckless and unchecked development of increasingly powerful systems, with no oversight, puts our economy, our society, and our lives at risk. Regulation is critical to safe innovation, so that a handful of AI corporations don’t jeopardise our shared future.”