Artificial intelligence. AI is all the rage. Companies are clamoring to get out the latest and greatest gadgets or Robots that will change the world. Governments are investing tons of money in companies using AI to create things that will outdo another county (for safety reasons or bragging rights, i.e., a weapon or a cure for diabetes.) AI has gotten a seat at the head of the table.

Did you ever see I, Robot, starring Will Smith? When I watched that (years ago), I thought if this happens in real life where robots are given human-like programming and they are encouraged, if not programmed to, evolve into having an actual consciousness, it can’t be a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my computer but I feel like I use it and not the other way around.

Well, here we are in 2023, and I am now seeing more and more jobs on Indeed.com that are looking for writers to write for AI. And it’s not just for gaming. AI technology is getting an infusion of human language, “humanness.” I looked at a job where the requirement was to know a particular fundraising software. I googled it and learned it uses AI software that suggests ask amounts to maximize donations. Huh, now we need a robot to tell us what to ask from donors. Wow, oh wow.

Do we even comprehend as a species that giving more and more power to AI is not only taking much-needed jobs off of human beings but also giving away our power, or need to grow, learn, and become better humans? The only good thing AI should do is make humans want to be better (like using Grammarly to review my writing and learn from its corrections or trust in my knowledge to override its suggestions), but it can have the opposite effect, too. Why get up and pull down the blinds when you can hit a button on a remote control or your phone? I know I would love that. Who wouldn’t?  Homes are now controlled by AI with Siri at your command to turn on the lights and lock the doors. AI is feeding our weakness for comfort. We better be careful, and as AI evolves, we better too.

Artificial intelligence is this great big thing now where software engineers and just plain ‘ol engineers and scientists are creating more and more machines to take something away from us. In the case of the blinds, it’s our necessity to move. Machines, devices, and Robots are being created by humans pushing the plate closer and closer to the edge. We need to make sure it doesn’t go over. The scientists and engineers aren’t considering the ramifications of developing and selling AI that “solves a need” but has the potential to make a human dumber, lazier, or sicker (mentally or physically.)

Supermarkets have bought into CGO technology (Definition: The CGO system combines sophisticated algorithms and artificial intelligence) that tells the store what it needs. They don’t have people taking inventory like in the past, plugging that number in a spreadsheet, and using the data for ordering. Instead, they rely on a machine that gets data from the checkout system (not always correct) to show what needs to be ordered or put in. Vendors (humans) can estimate what is actually needed because they do the job and know what is best for sales, not what AI tells them.

I was at a grocery store where no one worked as a cashier. My only option was the self-checkout.

When I got home and looked at the receipt to put it in my check registry, I noticed an item I bought was not on the receipt. I knew I put every item over the scanner thing and would never do something illegal, so apparently, the “machine” didn’t read the UPC. Oops! How often is this happening? Would the same thing happen with a human cashier? Not as likely. Could this be one of the big reasons there is so much theft loss in corporate stores today? Machines/technology can actually entice people to be criminals. “Leaving machines in charge of human jobs can result in a multitude of problems,” my guy said.

On a visit to the McDonald’s drive-thru, their system was down. They were only accepting cash. The young person working at the window told me he didn’t know how to make the change. I had to help him. He relied so much on the register to tell him what change was needed that he didn’t know how to make the change by himself. This is problematic, don’t ya think? I do. Oh, I know people say we need to get rid of money and use cards or things like Apple Pay for convenience, but that means we leave a trail of tidbits about our lives sucked up by big business for all sorts of neat things like profiling, marketing, and solicitation.

Young people are failing out of school. Their phone is what is taking their attention. I have so much empathy for teachers nowadays. I can’t imagine what they go through. I taught at LCCC in 2005-2006 when phones were coming on the scene with the Internet on them, but you could text. I had a tough time with a few assholes who thought disobeying the syllabus and playing with their phones during class was perfectly fine. Even after I asked them nicely to put them away, they didn’t listen. I couldn’t teach people more interested in a phone. It was not for me.

I have a phone. It does not control me. I can shut it off, and it wouldn’t bother me, but I do like having it near me for communication. I don’t need all the bells and Apps many people use. But I’m not a hippie living in a van down by the river with no phone either. I use my phone mostly as it was intended at the beginning of cell phones – to communicate when needed.

This is my AI dilemma going through my head. As I evolve, I think more about things outside of myself. Let’s pay more attention to what’s happening in the AI community. That’s all. Thank you for reading this. I’d love to know your thoughts on the matter.

To Using Our Brains,

Francesca