Are We looking At Artificial Intelligence Deep Enough?

I ask this question with a great deal of concern.

Yes, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) is the newest slice of technology that is on the minds of many people. Just look at the survey results according to Stanford University and the World Bank in December of 2024.

Here’s how much time using generative A.I. saved across 5 common work tasks, in average number of minutes;

• With writing – without Gen A.I. 80 minutes with Gen A.I. 25 minutes.
• In conjunction with active learning – without Gen A.I. 76 minutes with Gen A.I. 26 minutes.
• With critical thinking – without Gen A.I. 102 minutes with Gen A.I. 27 minutes.
• When it comes to troubleshooting – without Gen A.I. 115 minutes with Gen A.I. 28 minutes.
• With judgement and decision making – without Gen A.I. 79 minutes with Gen A.I. 28 minutes.

In a recent study from Waseda University (a private university in Shinjuku, Japan) reveals a troubling fact: 75% of users now turn to AI for emotional advice. Is this the therapist of tomorrow? Is it a confidant?

As we are faced with the challenges alongside human relationships, where speed and ghosting appear to govern our actions. AI chatbots or ‘artificial conversation entity’ offers an almost disturbing constancy, as they don’t sleep, and don’t judge. For 39% of the study participants, AI is perceived as a reliable presence – more stable than many human friendships.

While it was only 39% of the study participants who perceived A.I. as a reliable presence, I know that this is a sad commentary on the state of our World. Why do I state that? Read on.

The use of Artificial intelligence has been associated with everything from fear of judgment and loneliness to sexism and illiteracy. I think you’d agree that these are a perplexing collection of outcomes that are disturbing.

There is a study published in the journal BMC Psychology, where South Korean scientists surveyed 504 college-level Chinese art students and found that the ones who showed higher rates of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism were more likely rely on ChatGPT and the AI art generator Midjourney than their better-balanced peers.

The paper, by psychology researchers Jinyi Song of South Korea’s Chodang University and Shuyan Liu of Baekseok University, framed AI use among art school students as akin to academic misconduct behaviors like cheating, lying, and plagiarism. Those behaviors, the researchers explained, are also associated with the above-mentioned “dark” personality traits, which are drawn from the ‘Dark Triad’ model used to assess negative personality characteristics. I should probably explain what the ‘Dark Triad’ is. These include; Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.

• Machiavellianism is a personality trait characterized by manipulation, deceit, and a focus on self-interest, often at the expense of others.
• Narcissism is excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance.
• Psychopathy is a neuropsychiatric disorder marked by deficient emotional responses, lack of empathy, and poor behavioral controls.

Yes, we surely need a lot more people exhibiting these traits, don’t we? (Okay, sorry for my dry sense of humor.)

So, what are the solutions?

1. Keep in mind that you can measure humans’ intellectual capacities and these capacities can be used by A.I. These capacities include all the inflexible biases of its maker, their judgments or beliefs.
2. Scientists and technologists have a very specific way of understanding the world, which is very helpful, but it’s not the only way of understanding the world.
3. We need to recapture the sense of human rights being ultimately ingrained in human dignity, not human creations. These rights are born within us and express our dignity or worthiness.
4. Also remember that A.I. is more likely to be used for subjects that are easily computable, such as science, technology, engineering and math. You can develop programs that will teach you those; but other skills like critical and creative talents, such as communication, networking, and literature, won’t be so easily dealt with by A.I. It is important to ensure they don’t get abandoned simply because they’re not easily reduced to an A.I. platform.
5. Recall that education isn’t just the imparting of skills. It’s the formation of a person. We don’t want to lose something of the mystery that education, which is a human activity brings to the students. Incidentally, I think the function of the teacher (not a brain-washer) is something that needs to be preserved.

To conclude, what worries me the most is where social media is taking us, and how A.I. has the potential to take us even further into a world of polarization or division.

The above 5 points are what I’d call a starting point for you.

With your personal brain capacity, I am sure that you have many ideas for a better solution.