Unlike “traditional” AI that relies on predetermined rules and patterns, generative AI is able to produce novel content—like text, video, images, and music. In a way, unlike old AI, generative AI can think outside the box. Its implications are profound and sprawling, with the potential to reshape virtually every branch of society.
Conversations about AI often turn on whether it will be a net positive or negative for society, but our new research as part of an international team suggests that acknowledging AI’s apparent paradoxes can help us develop a clearer picture about its risks and potential benefits. We focused on four major areas of society: information, work, education and health care.
Work
Digital technologies have a history of skewed benefits. More educated workers benefit while less-educated workers are displaced through automation—a trend known as “skill-biased technological change.”
By contrast, generative AI promises to enhance rather than replace human capabilities, potentially reversing this adverse trend. Studies have shown that AI tools like chat assistants and programming aids can significantly boost productivity and job satisfaction, especially for less-skilled workers.
Nonetheless, uneven access to AI technologies could worsen existing inequalities as those lacking necessary digital infrastructure or skills get left behind. For example, generative AI is unlikely to have much direct impact on the global south in the near future, due to insufficient investment in the prerequisite digital infrastructure and skills.
School
Generative AI can enhance personal support and adaptability in learning. Chatbot tutors, for instance, are set to transform educational settings by providing real-time, personalized instruction and support. This technology can realize the dream of dynamic, skill-adaptive teaching methods that directly respond to student needs without constant teacher intervention.
Yet, it must be carefully implemented to avoid perpetuating or introducing biases, not only in terms of the information that is fed into AIs but also how they are used. For instance, a study revealed that female students report using ChatGPT less frequently than their male counterparts. This disparity in technology usage could not only have immediate effects on academic achievement, but also contribute to a future gender gap in the workforce.
Health care
Generative AI could help doctors make better choices. But it could also drive them to make worse ones.
Generative AI could augment human capacities in the practice of medicine by guiding practitioners during diagnosis, screening, prognosis and triaging. It could reduce workloads, thereby making medical care more accessible and affordable. One study found that the integration of human and AI judgment led to superior performance compared to either alone, showing just how well humans and AI can work together.
That said, the diagnostic performance of some expert physicians may not be improved by AI. Another study focusing on radiology found that AI can in fact cause incorrect diagnoses in situations that otherwise would have been correctly assessed. This highlights the need for balanced integration that supplements rather than replaces humans.
The Conversation
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Generative AI at school, work and the hospital: The risks and rewards laid bare (2024, June 15)
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