Is AI slowing down human development?
Many observers are concerned about the harmful effects of artificial intelligence on humanity. A new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is now fuelling fears that AI is slowing down human development progress. Commentators make suggestions as to how governments and leaders can steer the influence of AI in the right direction.
At a crossroads
Humans must reverse this worrying trend, Milliyet warns:
“The basic premise behind the report is that humankind has reached a crossroads. In the new era shaped by artificial intelligence, if we fail to implement a human-centred development perspective, global inequalities will increase and vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks will grow. The UNDP calls on policy-makers, the business community and civil society to take decisive steps to seize opportunities and overcome crises in the age of artificial intelligence.”
Protect people, not jobs
The Financial Times praises and explains Sweden's response to the threat AI poses to jobs:
“Under an agreement between employers, unions and the government, workers can take time off from their jobs to train in something new, while being paid 80 per cent of their salary (up to a limit). The policy is very much in keeping with the Swedish approach to labour market disruption, which is to 'protect people, not jobs'. In other words: creative destruction is necessary, but people shouldn't pay the price. ... Even if the AI 'tsunami' turns out to be an ankle-depth anticlimax, policymakers won't regret making sure that everyone can swim.”
Chatbots as a threat to the Internet
The Economist looks at the economic consequences of AI for online content providers:
“As users pose their queries to chatbots rather than conventional search engines, they are given answers, rather than links to follow. The result is that 'content' publishers, from news providers and online forums to reference sites such as Wikipedia, are seeing alarming drops in their traffic. ... The death of the web has been predicted before - at the hands of social networks, then smartphone apps - and not come to pass. But AI may pose the biggest threat to it yet. If the web is to continue in something close to its current form, sites will have to find new ways to get paid for content.”