The Non-human factor - Will AI make us safer, or will it remove our humanity?

The Non-Human factor –Will AI make us safer, or will it remove our humanity?

Introduction

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

AI was a term used in 1955 by a Stanford professor, called John McCarthy. He defined AI as,

“…the science and engineering of making intelligent machines”.

It refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines and the creation of systems and programmes that can perform tasks that may otherwise have been performed by humans.

Now, in current times, humans have programmed machines to perform complicated tasks and to decide for themselves the next steps to take, to achieve a specific goal. Additionally, machines are beginning to learn and problem-solve for themselves.

AI is also now very capable of recognising people’s faces and speech patterns and communicating with humans in a social way on ‘chatbots’.

The subfields of AI also encompass robotics, virtual assistants, healthcare, finance, and self-driving cars!

Broadly speaking, AI has undoubtedly been helpful and has streamlined certain areas of our lives, but my question is….

?“Isn’t it our fallibility and our human ability to fail and learn for ourselves, and to share that learning with one another that sets humans apart, and makes our lives extraordinary, significant and of importance?

What are ‘Human Factors’? ?

The Basic Principles of Human and Organisational Performance (HOP) / Human factors are:

·???????? Humans are fallible and even the best people make mistakes.

·???????? Error is normal and error-likely situations are predictable, manageable, and preventable.

·???????? Blame fixes nothing.

·???????? Learning and improving is vital.

·???????? Individual behaviour is influenced by organisational processes and values.

·???????? Context drives behaviour.

·???????? People achieve high levels of performance based largely on the encouragement and reinforcement received from leaders, peers, and subordinates.

·???????? How you respond to failure matters

·???????? Events can be avoided by understanding the reasons mistakes occur and applying the lessons learned from the past events.?

Discussion

Our lives, our safety and our learning all revolve around these factors listed above – whether we are fully cognisant of it or not!! However, there is a new player in town and its name is Mr/Mrs…insert your pronoun of choice(!!)…. Artificial Intelligence – or 'AI' to its friends!

So, what is AI..?

I found these definitions particularly interesting…

1.?????? “Artificial intelligence is?the science of making machines that can think like humans. It can do things that are considered "smart."

2.?????? “AI technology can process large amounts of data very quickly in ways unlike humans.

The goal for AI is to be able to do things, such as recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans”.

Here’s another one….

3.?????? “Artificial intelligence is a wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. While AI is an interdisciplinary science with multiple approaches, advancements in?machine learning ?and?deep learning , in particular, are creating a paradigm shift in virtually every sector of the tech industry.?

4.?????? Finally “Artificial intelligence allows machines to model, or even improve upon, the capabilities of the human mind”.

So, how does AI fit with our current Human Performance/ Human Factors model and into human life?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can have significant impacts on life, human behaviours, and life factors in many ways, both positively and negatively – here are just some of the example

Decision-Making: AI systems can assist in decision-making processes by providing data-driven insights. This can influence human behaviours by guiding choices and actions based on AI-generated recommendations.

?Personalisation: AI can personalize content and recommendations, affecting consumer behaviour, by catering to individual preferences and needs, leading to changes in purchasing habits and online interactions.

?Privacy and Security: Concerns about AI’s potential for surveillance and data breaches can lead to changes in behaviour, such as increased vigilance about online privacy and security practices.

?Social Interaction: Chatbots and virtual assistants can influence the way people interact with technology and each other. They may impact communication styles and etiquette.

?Bias and Fairness: AI can perpetuate biases present in training data, which can affect human behaviours and reinforce existing stereotypes and discrimination. Addressing AI bias is essential to mitigate these effects.

?Social media - Personalised on-line content that may not have been requested and online social interactions (both those wanted and those unbidden).

?Risk to jobs - AI can automate tasks in certain jobs that are traditionally performed by humans, potentially leading to job displacement in certain industries and the need for new skill sets.

?Healthcare and Well-being: AI can improve healthcare through early diagnosis and treatment recommendations, potentially encouraging healthier behaviours and improved patient outcomes. However, it can also be used to generate doubt and anxiety about health issues, to encourage health checks and purchase of health-related products – targeting the ‘worried well’.

?Education: AI-powered tools can personalise learning experiences, potentially influencing study habits and educational choices, which can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.

?Creativity and Art: AI can generate art, music, and literature, impacting creative industries and challenging our understanding of human creativity.

AI’s influence on human factors and human behaviours is multifaceted and can be both and /or positive, or negative, depending on the situation and the human perspective. Its impact varies greatly across different domains and in different situations.

As AI continues to evolve, it’s essential to consider the ethical and societal implications and ensure responsible development and usage.

Learning

AI and HOP – Can AI ever be better than a human interaction /conversation?

I’m going to look specifically at a few of the human and organisational performance statements:

Error is normal and learning and improving from our mistakes may sometimes be difficult, but it is gratifying.

Humans are fallible and even the best people make mistakes - but we often learn from them and that is what is great about being human and is vital to us.

Error-likely situations are predictable, manageable, and preventable, but reacting and solving problems gives a feeling of accomplishment and builds confidence.

Context drives behaviour and we use social clues and norms to guide us.

People perform better generally in life if they feel motivated to do so. The spark may come from a multitude of different sources, but it may be as simple as a thank you from a colleague.

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My Thoughts

Can AI detect accidental innovation? Does it express the joy that a team feels? Does it bond people together? That feeling of solving a problem together – will that be lost forever?

The increasing use of AI may reduce our need to think deeply about problems to find ways to resolve them for ourselves. When we tackle problems for ourselves and overcome challenges independently we learn and grow as individuals and in teams. Problem solving increases confidence and our own self-reliance.

We also become more resilient and become more equipped to cope in adversity and to appreciate moments of joy.

If we constantly rely on our AI ‘chatbot’ to have all the answers – when do we learn for ourselves?

Will we lose the ability to think through problems for ourselves?

Will we forget what it feels like to feel successful?

Studies show also that exercising your brain daily and keeping it stimulated can be critical to reducing your risk of dementia.?Giving your brain a challenge forces it to engage in new or rarely used mental pathways that can prevent or slow the onset of cognitive decline.

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Conclusion

The effects of AI on human behaviour and lifestyles will depend on how it is regulated in the future, and how it is integrated into our society in the future.

When developing AI and implementing it into our daily lives, consideration of its ethical and social impact on human lives is imperative.

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Reading List:

Artificial Intelligence: A modern approach – Russell and Norvig

Superintelligence: paths, Dangers, Strategies – Bostrom

Artificial Intelligence: A guide to Intelligence systems

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World order

Thank you to my Human Performance friends and colleagues, who constantly inspire me, and to my partner, Mike, who challenged me to write this short paper…………Mike, you know I am right!!! ??