Everywhere I look in the last year I seem to see references to AI. Whether it is articles about how AI will take over the world, or adverts saying that products from cars to insurance are “powered” by AI. How am I supposed to feel – scared or excited?
The first thing to say is that automation is not AI. We have had automation since the industrial revolution, and computer automation since the 1950s. It has certainly taken jobs away. We don’t need thousands of hand weavers anymore and we don’t need clerks in companies adding up accounts. But it has also created new jobs, and has grown our economies, creating wealth. I have to confess a self interest here because my career was based on installing automation in companies, from writing software to control water and gas networks, to managing projects to sell more products to customers, and ending with making it faster and more reliable to make payments.
Real AI does much more than this. Instead of following instructions created by people, it analyses vast amounts of data to create new ideas. For instance we have all heard of AI identifying new indicators of cancers, allowing them to be treated much sooner. This is what makes it a threat to jobs that previously seemed immune to automation. My dentist said to me a few months ago that his role would never be taken over by AI because he had thirty years experience and had treated thousands of patients. He is wrong. Probably in the next ten years we will see AI dentist robots using consolidated thousands of years of knowledge and the data from millions of patients. This will allow them to be more accurate and to give less invasive treatments.
Even creative roles are likely to be automated with new AI. We are already beginning to see early versions of books and films written by AI. So far they are not great but they will get there. And the roles around the creatives will certainly disappear. Why do you need film executives to use their “guts” to identify which projects to green light, when an AI can use the experience of the whole industry to say what will work and what will not. This does not mean AI will just repeat the past. It can spot new trends much faster than any person.
That all sounds pretty terrifying, but so far, AI seems to be adding rather than taking away. The new AI summaries at the top of Google do not replace the search, but add to them. AI assistants are helping journalists write better articles. Children are able to write better homework. Is that cheating? That reminds me of when I was a child and using a calculator was considered cheating. We were supposed to use log books. Why?
Unfortunately I am still not sure whether I should dread or embrace AI. I asked Chat GPT which told me “AI, like any powerful technology, is a double edged sword. Embracing it thoughtfully while addressing its risks is the wisest path.” Hmmm.
Oh by the way, why have I included a photo of a spitfire in Lytham St Annes at sunrise? I took it last week, and then used AI on my phone in five seconds to remove the pole that holds up the aeroplane in Lytham Park. That was pretty cool. I also generated a whole image below using Gencraft AI, but that seems to be missing a tailplane. Maybe AI is not perfect yet.
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