5 ways artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the world

The reach of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has surged this year as regulators and lawmakers consider adding guardrails and tech companies scramble to get ahead of each other.

As AI (particularly OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT chatbot) has become more common and accessible, it has shaped society, bringing new opportunities and risks to fields ranging from education to Hollywood.

Here are five ways AI is rapidly changing our world.

ChatGPT starts technology competition among companies

When OpenAI made ChatGPT publicly available in November 2022, it took off. According to Mirror Web data, in the first week the chatbot reached 15.5 million visits, and in May it reached a peak of 1.8 billion visits.

The success of ChatGPT also started competition among technology companies.

A day after Microsoft announced it would incorporate ChatGPT into Bing search in February, Google announced the launch of its AI chatbot, Bard. As the two companies continue to race to stay on the cutting edge, Google this month launched Gemini, an AI model aimed at making Bard more human in its communications and ultimately powering the company’s search engine. announced.

According to Google, it will be integrated not only in the company’s smartphone “Pixel 8 Pro” but also in “Bard”.

Other technology companies have also entered the AI ​​race. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced in July that it would release Llama 2, an open source large-scale language model, for commercial use and research.

Tesla, SpaceX, and X owner Elon Musk also launched a ChatGPT rival under his xAI company in November. The company said the AI, called Grok, has a “rebellious personality.” The company also touted Grok’s “real-time access” to information from X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) as a “significant advantage” over other platforms.

Wedbush analysts said in a December note that they expect spending on AI to accelerate across the tech industry into 2024. Analysts said they view AI as “the most transformative technology trend since the beginning of the internet in 1995.”

AI throws Congress into chaos

As companies accelerate advances in AI, Congress spent much of the second half of this year holding hearings and meeting with experts to understand the risks and benefits of the technology.

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held a hearing in May that featured testimony from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He pledged to work with governments and other industries to minimize the risks associated with technological advances, warning that AI could “cause significant harm to the world.”

Altman will return to Capitol Hill in September with other CEOs of major AI companies, civil society leaders, and other AI experts to speak at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D.N. Y.) AI Insights Forum. .

The first meeting was attended by Musk, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

After the first session, the Senate held a series of forums focused on various areas of AI’s impact, including election concerns, intellectual property issues, and national security risks.

The bipartisan group of senators leading this effort with Mr. Schumer includes Sen. Martin Heinrich (D.M.), Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Sen. Mike Rounds (R.D.). .)It is included. Lawmakers have touted bipartisan agreement on many of the issues being raised, but have yet to move forward with a regulatory framework to address AI.

Hollywood sets new standard for AI labor protections

The advanced capabilities of AI have also raised concerns about how the technology will impact employment.

A March paper by researchers at OpenAI, OpenResearch, and the University of Pennsylvania says AI could impact about 80 percent of the U.S. workforce. The paper argues that at least 10 percent of jobs in about 80 percent of the workforce could be affected by the introduction of AI. Large-scale language models for industry.

Hollywood writers and actors led efforts this year to secure protection from AI through union contracts.

An agreement reached in October between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) ends a 148-day strike and introduces AI protections that could set a precedent for other industries. Ta.

Part of the agreement included giving union members the right to choose to use AI, but prohibiting studios from forcing writers to use it.

It also ensured that companies must disclose whether the material provided to writers is generated by or incorporates AI-generated material.

SAG-AFTRA announced a deal with its own studio in November that also includes AI protection. The contract requires the performer’s consent to create a digital replica. It also describes how performers are compensated through the use of the replicas, including the time spent creating the replicas and how the replicas are used.

AI raises concerns about election misinformation

The rise of generative AI tools, especially audio and video technologies that make people appear to say and do things that are not actually happening, will fuel the spread of political misinformation ahead of the 2024 election. may be applied.

Some campaigns, particularly the Republican presidential primary, are using AI in their campaign content.

These concerns have led Congress, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and tech companies to consider ways to reduce the spread of misinformation.

Google and Meta have introduced policies requiring election advertisers to disclose their use of AI in political ads.

The FEC is considering clarifying its rules to also address the use of AI in campaigns, following lobbying from consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

AI will disrupt education

The release of ChatGPT and its rapid popularity has led schools to become concerned about how students are using the tool to cheat on their schoolwork.

This concern led to the first wave of bans on the technology. However, many have since reversed that ban, looking for ways to incorporate this technology into education.

For example, the New York City school system rescinded its ban on ChatGPT in May. President David Banks explained the decision and how the school will work to incorporate AI into the curriculum in an op-ed published by Chalkbeat.

But with that change came other concerns related to AI in education. This raises the possibility that this will widen the skills gap among rural and poor students.

AI could also transform education as a way to alleviate concerns about teacher shortages, which have been a growing concern since the coronavirus pandemic.