The Age of AI

     

The video on the age of AI was highly engaging and brought attention to ways technology is being used without much public knowledge. Many of the experts featured throughout the video were concerned with the use of AI, and warned of its growing power in society. Much of the conversation was focused on the use of AI as a modern surveillance technique, constantly gathering and storing data about private details of our lives. 

Yoshua Bengio made one of the most shocking points in the video: that AI will benefit the people who can control it. Those people with the power and ability to control the AI systems are going to dictate their benefits and harms. This information was shocking, especially considering that so much of our information is already in the hands of very powerful people. China was named in the documentary for being almost a complete “surveillance state” with cameras placed everywhere, and noticeably enough to remind common people that they are being watched. China has some of the most advanced technology, but
in the video, Amy Webb mentioned that fifty-eight other countries are considering using the type of software that China uses. This is obviously concerning because these types of extreme techniques being used to intrude on people’s personal privacy are being spread. I wonder how soon it will be for other established countries to follow in their footsteps. 

Fortunately, information about the use of AI and its powers has gained more public visibility in recent years. This has encouraged people to advocate for stronger privacy laws and a stronger understanding of the information that companies hold. For example, the California Privacy Law (derived from the California Consumer Privacy Act) was released this January. Components of the legislation include the “right to know” what information a business collects, how the information is used and shared, opting out of sharing information, and the right to delete some of the collected information. Hopefully, this type of progress will continue as AI advances and spreads more efficiently. 

Watch the documentary! It was very insightful: In the Age of AI