WTF is AI?

While AI’s latest uses may seem futuristic, artificial intelligence has already been influencing our lives for decades. Two things have changed recently, though: its expanding applications for a variety of industries, and our ability to be calm about it. 

But before we panic about imminent societal collapse led by robot overlords, here’s a crash course on how we got here.

AI 101

Our fascination with artificial intelligence (any intelligence demonstrated by machines rather than humans or animals) is nothing new. It can be traced back to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818. You’re already familiar with AI in your everyday life if you use Siri or TikTok’s For You page. In fact, Google’s AI is suggesting the next words in each sentence as I type this article.

Even chatbots (AI that can hold conversations) are old news. Cleverbot is perhaps the most iconic real-world example—the AI was “born” in 1988 and has been learning from people around the world since 2006. Fictional AI is at the heart of pop culture: Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, The Matrix and Her are a few of the most influential examples.

We’re not worrying about HAL 9000 (yet). What we’re concerned about is called generative AI. Instead of using data to recommend more YouTube videos, these algorithms use data to create new content like photos, writing, video, audio and more.

The case for an AI-generated future

It’s hard not to be amazed at what these programs can do. The fact that generative AI exists at all—that artificial machines can identify subjects, technique and quality of images, and create new ones at will—is a testament to human ingenuity.

There’s no doubt that properly using artificial intelligence can benefit creative work. As a writer, I use programs like ChatGPT to quickly generate starting ideas, especially when I find myself using the same sentence structures over and over. It’s easier to edit robot-drafted copy than to write and edit my own writing in the same sitting. This means I can use my time and creative resources to iterate faster.

There is something to be said for generative AI lowering the barrier to entry for people who think they lack the skills for sketching, painting, graphic design or creative writing. AI can help people express ideas they don’t feel capable of realizing themselves.

AI supports creativity in the same way a tennis player uses a wall: as a tool for practice and muscle memory. But it’s not intended to be a replacement for playing against another human. When it gets used that way, we run into some issues.

The outcomes and issues with generative AI

As amazing as generative AI can be, it’s still an algorithm. It can’t make something out of nothing. It requires inputs from humans to generate outputs. In short: you reap what you sow. 

These AI-generated images have already spawned debates about the value of art and the limits of copyright law. Artists whose work was clearly being used as part of AI-generated images have faced opposition from AI loyalists. In a world accustomed to self-checkouts and automated phone tree menus, artists are understandably wary of becoming obsolete. After all, who would opt to pay for quality creative work when they can get 100 portraits for the low cost of $12 and a few selfies? (Never mind the fact that behind those portraits are the copyrighted works of actual human creators, which the human developers could remove from their database, solving that whole mess.) 

As an agency dedicated to human rights, we know that as we step into the AI world, we enter into an unknown ocean of possibility. We have to center our ethical considerations early and often. We stand behind the continued use of this tech to "work for the good of humanity,” and we want to keep talking about it frequently so we don’t neglect the real issues this technology can cause.

Where do we go from here?

Generative AI is clearly the hot topic of 2023. There’s no telling if they’ll stay or fade away with time and regulation. There’s already an open letter calling to pause AI development until we can understand the risks. While the world leaders and innovators figure themselves out, what can we do in the meantime?

First, media literacy is as important as regular literacy now. Everyone needs basic critical thinking skills in their back pocket, given the ease with which anyone can create deep fakes and misinformation. If you are not actively doubting everything you read online, you are at risk. It may seem silly now, with things like the Pope in a puffer jacket, but the potential for harm is too great.

Second, it’s important to acknowledge that this fear of technology is also nothing new. People have always been paranoid about adopting new tech, from the actual Luddites of Britain to their modern counterparts who were wary of things like e-mail or seatbelts in cars. Skepticism is helpful, but it’s better to be specific and do your research when critiquing tech nowadays. 

Finally, it’s crucial to remind ourselves that generative AI doesn’t make unexpected connections the way a human can. It makes logical and rational connections. If you ask an AI to generate a child’s drawing of a house, it will pull from examples of images labeled as children’s drawings. If you ask a child to draw a house, there is no telling how they will interpret “a house.” It’s not logical, it’s personal—and isn’t that part of what makes art meaningful?