The foreseeable progression of AI does not involve machines supplanting human roles. Rather, it is the simultaneous functioning of both, the beneficial interdependence of both AI and human capability. This is evident across various sectors, both professionally, i.e., healthcare and education, as well as creatively. The ability and capacity to make the most of AI and its systems, is undoubtedly going to become an invaluable asset as we move forward.
The interdependence of AI, human capability, creativity, and critical thinking, in order to tackle both existing and unprecedented challenges, is already on its way. Predominantly sensationalist headlines and an overreliance on philosophical debate remain fixated on the so-called existential threats of AI. In contrast, the hopeful reality is set in thousands of offices, labs, hospitals, and classrooms where humans and AI are collaboratively problem solving.
Realistically, both an understanding of the potential threats AI brings, as well as a recognition of its preserved strengths, mean that people can learn to thrive with AI rather than suffer its consequences.
How is Human-AI Collaboration Going to Function?
The potential for human and AI collaboration is already evident in our everyday lives. For example, the collaboration of AI and humans is demonstrated when a healthcare practitioner uses AI in order to assist him or her in diagnosing a patient with cancer at an earlier stage than currently possible. Another example is when an educator uses AI in order to assist him or her in personalizing education for 30 students as opposed to one at a time. The collaboration of AI and humans is also demonstrated when an author uses AI in order to assist him or her in overcoming writer's block.
AI is best at data processing, having the ability to recognize and execute patterns in a repetitive manner. Humans are best at using judgment and understanding the context and the ethics of the situation, as well as creativity.
Where AI Works Well—and Where it Struggles
AIs are really good at several things:
1. Processing enormous quantities of information super fast.
2. Finding patterns.
3. Performing monotone tasks.
4. Responding to some prompts.
Whereas AIs have challenges abstracting and constructing meaning and cannot develop empathy, appreciate the significance of a decision, and understand a complex social situation, or the ambiguity of interpersonal relations. For example, a 2023 McKinsey & Company report predicts that while a lot of tasks done in the workplace by employees can be done by generative AI, there will always have to be human management for things like deciding what is correct or ethical to do, and for managing people and their interests.
Where the AI gap is, is where human value is.
Where AI is Impacting Major Sectors
Healthcare: Within a Shorter Timeframe Patients Have Better Outcomes
In some areas, like imaging, AI is proving to be a very useful tool in some aspects of health care faster and with better outcomes. Google Health's AI system, for example, diagnosed breast cancer detected by radiologists in a 2020 article in Nature Medicine with more accuracy. However, the system was not put into practice by itself. Radiologists used their clinical judgment when the AI model suggested something they did not agree with to challenge the AI.
The outcomes achieved faster were better outcomes for the patients, and fewer diagnoses were missed.
Personalized Learning at Scale
Khan Academy's Khanmigo, along with other adaptive learning systems, harnesses the power of AI to make learning systems flexible to the individual by adjusting the speed of lessons, the difficulty level of assigned tasks, and the type of feedback provided to the learner. Teachers are then able to utilize the learning systems to know where to focus their efforts and support students the most where it is needed.
This evolves the role of the teacher from the classic role of the teacher of delivering content to the role of a mentor. This is not a diminutive role. This is a massive positive evolution in the role of the teacher.
AI as a Collaborator in Creative Fields
The integration of AI in the creative arts is by far the most contentious, and, in most cases, the most inaccurately framed, debate of utilizing AI tools. When a designer opens up the capabilities of Adobe Firefly to assist in visual communication, the designer is not being replaced, but is, in fact, able to engage in the process of designing at a much higher level. The completed design is the product of a drawing aided by a significant amount of skill and design judgment.
AI does not have the ability to make designing, or any type of creative work, obsolete. Quite the opposite is true.
What skills will be the most important in an augmented with AI world?
According to the Future of Jobs Report, 2023, the skills that will be the most important are skills that include design of a persuasive argument. AI will most likely be incorporated into many jobs completed by an employee, and the employees embracing the tools will be most successful at their jobs.
A few capabilities that are becoming increasingly important.
- Prompt engineering – Creating effective and precise prompts that instruct AI in ways that produce desired outputs.
- AI literacy – The capability to determine what AI tools are deficient in so as to avoid over-reliance and misuse.
- Ethical judgment – The wisdom to determine the necessity to disregard the suggestions and recommendations of AI.
- Domain knowledge – The ability to assess information in an area with some degree of authority and knowledge.
The combination of domain knowledge and AI literacy will guide the next generation of high achievers and leaders of the society.
The Ethical Dimension: Who’s Responsible?
Collaborating with AI poses a serious ethical challenge: who is responsible for the errors that AI makes?
This is not a question that is meant to be provocative. In 2023 a lawyer in the united states cited references in his documentation that had been generated by AI. This references turned out to be false and fabricated. The lawyer was sanctioned. The AI was not held accountable. This is worth noting.
When AI reaches its full potential, society will have to assign accountability to human decisions in critical areas like healthcare, law, finance, and criminal justice and bias in AI. It will also have to uphold the integrity of audit systems.
The goal is not to develop a relationship of distrust with AI. The goal is to retain control over the process, even when the vast majority of the work is done by AI.
Building a Society Worth Having
The most constructive vision of the future of our society is not a world in which humans are spectators to technological advances. Instead, AI will enable humans to dedicate their time to interacting, innovating, guiding, and caring.
Consider the possibilities if doctors, teachers, and engineers are able to spend more time with their patients and students and less time on administrative tasks, grading, and debugging, respectively. AI reallocates human effort and potential to more productive tasks instead of diminishing it.
However, this future will not create itself. It depends on the AI developers creating the technology, the responsible regulators making the laws, and the users making the effort to change their attitude toward AI and develop their competency.
The Time to Act is Now
The most important aspect of AI is that it is a tool. Just like any other technology, the outcomes of its use depend on the users, not the technology itself. The technology changes the world in both good and bad ways, depending on how it is used. The outcomes of AI will follow the same pattern.
There is no question that AI will change the future. The only question that remains is how you will influence this change. Learn an AI tool pertinent to your profession and become familiar with its boundary. Use its strengths, but remember that you are the one who must make the final decision in every circumstance devoid of AI's humanity, ethics, and values.
FAQs
Will AI take jobs away from humans?
AI will be introduced to automate tasks associated with some jobs, but most jobs will not be eliminated. Rather, most jobs will evolve to be more intentional, and rely on judgment and creativity. AI will automate tasks that are more mundane and repetitive. The World Economic Forum estimates that AI will create approximately 69 million jobs worldwide in the next five years despite displacing 83 million active jobs.
What does the term human-AI collaboration mean?
Human-AI collaboration is the system of combining human and AI systems to produce a more desirable outcome than what can be achieved independently. AI is capable of processing large amounts of data and automating systems, whereas humans have the ability to provide the system with context and ethical and creative judgment.
What can I do to prepare for a workplace driven by AI?
It will be beneficial to develop AI literacy by developing a deeper understanding of how AI systems work, and more importantly, how they do not work. Pairing AI literacy with a deep understanding of your field will allow you to evaluate the AI systems that are implemented within your domain. Communication, ethical reasoning, and problem solving will be more beneficial as a workplace skill than less.
How reliable is AI content?
AI content is not always reliable. AI has the capability of generating content that is convincing, but is factually incorrect. This phenomenon is known as AI hallucination. Any AI content that is generated will need the oversight of a human expert to verify that the content is in fact reliable.
If AI content is generated, who is responsible?
The organization and the person that implemented the technology are held responsible, both legally and ethically, for the actions AI systems carry out. Governments and regulatory bodies have yet to develop a system of laws and regulations that will provide oversight and control for AI systems.