When we asked more than 3,100 subscribers what they would like to see in a primer on artificial intelligence \u2014 something to help the uninitiated understand chatbots, their uses, and their dangers \u2014 the 240-plus replies painted a vivid picture of curiosity, skepticism, fear and even excitement about how AI is reshaping lives.<\/p>\n
Many people said they simply want the basics, a kind of \u201cAI 101\u201d for ordinary users. Others demanded deeper explorations of ethical questions, the environmental costs of sprawling data centers, and the risks of misinformation flooding social media. <\/p>\n
And nearly everyone expressed at least some anxiety about what this technology means for the future of jobs, education, health care, and democracy itself. Some framed their concern in terms of the \u201cSkynet scenario. A reference to the Terminator movies in which a self-aware AI system called Skynet tries to annihilate humanity.<\/p>\n
We posed our question in a message to more than 3,100 subscribers to our From the Editor weekday texts. You can sign up for free at www.joinsubtext.com\/chrisquinn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Starting with the basics<\/p>\n A large number of readers admitted they don\u2019t know where to start. \u201cNeed a primary description for the uneducated like myself to understand basics of AI, then proceed from there please,\u201d one wrote. Another added bluntly: \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about accessing AI, what it looks like, how to find it, very basic stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Several asked us to cut through the jargon. \u201cI need an introductory course \u2014 AI101. My eyes glaze over when the subject is AI.\u201d Others stressed the importance of showing what AI is not. \u201cIt\u2019s NOT a search engine, and people in general don\u2019t know how to use TOOLS like ChatGPT,\u201d one reader said. <\/p>\n Another asked, \u201cCan you compare the accuracy and speed of the most widely used chat bots? Also, a quick review of where they get their data and how it is acquired would be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n Practical examples were in demand. \u201cFor the uninitiated local folks, some prompts and responses could be a good start. For example a prompt could be: what is the best tree to plant in Westlake Ohio for maximum shade within 10 years?\u201d Another said, \u201cWhat can I use AI for in my personal world? Not necessarily for work. How can it help me as I navigate the world as a 40-70 year old who wasn\u2019t born using computer technology?\u201d<\/p>\n Fear of misuse and misinformation<\/p>\n If curiosity dominated part of the feedback, fear dominated another. <\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest issue is that people think current AI is actually intelligent. At the end of the day, they are still just more advanced algorithms,\u201d one person wrote. Another warned, \u201cWe\u2019ve heard concerns where incorrect or devious information might be churned out by, say, bots, to flood the Internet with this misinformation, thereby AI draws on that to produce wrong results.\u201d<\/p>\n Many readers linked AI directly to politics and propaganda. \u201cTrump and sycophants using it to keep control, as the people of this country can\u2019t be bothered to apply logic to anything they see and accept at face value,\u201d one message said. Another asked whether government would act: \u201cWill there be some kind of government control to filter out the false statements within an AI post? Too many people are gullible to believe anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Others focused on the personal consequences of AI-generated deception. \u201cI would LOVE to see AI covered in a guide as I am quite fearful of it,\u201d one person wrote. Another said, \u201cI would like to use it to create minutes for committee meetings \u2026 But I worry about all the fake news that manipulates public opinion on social media and other platforms. AI can create fake videos of people saying things they never said.\u201d<\/p>\n The erosion of trust in information sources was a repeated theme. \u201cMy greatest fear is a further proliferation of misinformation. We need a tool to verify factual information,\u201d one reader said. Another put it more simply: \u201cHow do we know what is real & what is AI generated garbage?\u201d<\/p>\n Questions about impact<\/p>\n Beyond the basics and the fears, many readers pressed for deeper explorations of AI\u2019s societal effects. Some asked about jobs: \u201cWhat jobs will people do when AI replaces their jobs. No one talks about that.\u201d Another warned, \u201cBeyond the Skynet scenario, the biggest concern is the more immediate impact of unemployment. Not only would there be less tax revenue generated, but there would be an insufficient safety net for those impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n Health care was another focus. \u201cI worry about health insurance companies using AI to deny treatments and procedures in order to save money,\u201d one reader said. Another asked, \u201cThe New York Times broke a story this weekend that AI will be used in determining eligibility for some procedures for Medicare patients \u2026 Perhaps you can report more on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Environmental concerns came up repeatedly. \u201cFor me it\u2019s the tremendous stress it\u2019s putting on the computing and electrical grid and by extension the planet. All because we can\u2019t put these devices down and think for ourselves.\u201d Others asked directly, \u201cHow much is AI raising our electric rates?\u201d and \u201cIs the environmental cost (water & electric consumption) worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n Still others looked at education. \u201cWill students rely too heavily on ChatGPT and be unable to string together a coherent sentence without assistance?\u201d one asked. Another wondered, \u201cIf young people become dependent on it, they won\u2019t be able to write anything using their own brain. We already have a generation of kids that can\u2019t even sign their name using cursive.\u201d<\/p>\n And some readers simply pleaded for transparency. \u201cSpecifically I want to understand how your newsroom is using AI and what the policy is for reporters,\u201d one message said. <\/p>\n Here are seven thought-provoking responses:<\/p>\n AI isn\u2019t always right but it always sounds right and I can see that causing real world pain.<\/p>\n Garbage in, garbage out. I would be less worried if we didn\u2019t have so many alternative facts.<\/p>\n Seeing is believing! \u2026 With today\u2019s state of society where so many facts are either misconstrued or even blatantly manufactured, I am beyond fear of where we are headed with the proliferation of AI generated videos, voice recording and photographs.<\/p>\n The difference between AI and human knowledge \u2026 An AI\u2019s \u2018experience\u2019 is limited to the data it is fed. It doesn\u2019t build up a personal base of common-sense knowledge the way a human does.<\/p>\n My fear is that too many hallucinations will further disrupt our understanding of the truth. We are already truth-challenged due to the Trump administration.<\/p>\n AI isn\u2019t always bad. I used an AI bot to troubleshoot a digital picture frame \u2026 the bot diagnosed remotely and sent me the replacement cord free of charge and all is well with my photo memories.<\/p>\n It\u2019s probably the most important invention since the telephone.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When we asked more than 3,100 subscribers what they would like to see in a primer on artificial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130318,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[182,181,507,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-130317","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}