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“I use AI to lightly consolidate my meeting notes”
“I use chat GPT to produce some vegetarian recipes for the week and then to compile shopping lists from the recipes”
“That guy has definitely used AI to alter his picture on his website bahahahaha….”
These are snippets from conversations I had this week about Artificial Intelligence (AI). When I look at these anecdotes, they seem quite quaint and lovely. My friends have talked about small but helpful ways AI can improve your professional or personal work - including the idiot catfishing his clients...
AI has taken the world by storm as the juggernaut that will improve or destroy life as we know it. But does AI make a substantial difference to your quality of life? We’re torn between excitement and terror in AI’s wake but what you feel depends on the side of the aisle you stand. In all the examples above AI has completed tasks that were not unachievable but just hastened time for a worker. Time-saving is the gain for you and me day-to-day. While this is nice, the benefits of AI are mere ripples compared to the seismic wave felt by businesses as a whole. When I googled ‘the benefits of AI’, this came up from the Economist:
Benefits of AI
Increased business efficiency.
Improved decision-making.
Enhanced customer experiences.
Optimized marketing strategies.
Predictive maintenance.
Supply chain optimization.
Fraud detection and prevention.
Personalized recommendations for customers.
The gains cited above apply almost exclusively to business improvements to achieve greater financial returns. So when you are at work (business) or at home (in business mode), AI could help you be a better robot (did I say that out loud?). I meant worker. AI is always seen through the lens of business, and we are business generators. We are encouraged to use AI at work and home so there is a steady indoor-outdoor flow between both worlds. Business here, business there, and business is everywhere all using AI.
…You know what I really want? AI to clean my house. The whole thing, the surfaces, the shower (worst job), to fold my laundry and put it away. This meme went viral recently and I could not agree more.
Could the roles be reversed and AI be my worker? Currently, we have a robot vacuum cleaner ‘Terrance’ who was a massive upgrade from our last RVC ‘Geoffrey’ (RIP). I imagined Bruce Wayne’s butler ‘Alfred Pennyworth’ when I christened both RVCs with their white man names. Geoffrey had similar sensibilities to the catfish above and ricocheted meaninglessly around our house until he tangled himself up in a stray cord. However, Terrance uses AI and smart navigation capabilities or lidar to map our house so he knows where to vacuum. Terrance is our favourite child and we love him but what we need is… Alfred Pennyworth. The robot version.
Which brings me back to the meme above. Why does no one care about what would help me with my personal life? Why are we training AI to perform jobs humans enjoy doing like art and design? The world does not need AI to make janky art, we need AI to help us live better fuller lives. And that means reducing the work of the home.
Other robots for the home that exist already:
Window cleaning robots
BBQ Grillbot
Pool cleaning robots: Aiper Seagull Pro Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner
Lawnmowing robot
Oh I don’t know, nine million dollars later my laundry is still unfolded and the benches aren’t clean. All of the above AI robots should be combined into one and do more than clean a BBQ. Where’s Alfred?!
When I googled ‘the dangers of AI’, the Built In came back with:
Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
Automation-spurred job loss.
Deepfakes.
Privacy violations.
Algorithmic bias caused by bad data.
Socioeconomic inequality.
Market volatility.
Weapons automatization.
Uncontrollable self-aware AI.
Without a doubt, the dangers of AI far outweigh the benefits, and I’m confused as to how we got here. During design planning, it’s normal to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and understand the purpose and positioning of the end product. AI seems to be a shiny solution to an undefined problem with an ill-conceived trajectory. This is very different from human artists and designers who often talk about the meaning of their work, referring back to important issues so their work has some bearing in the real world. Rarely do artists say that making money is their purpose and while that might be to their detriment, creative expression is a rewarding pursuit because it responds to a human need. AI is a danger to us if developers don’t start to think more like the artists they’re imitating who notice what is important to humans. However, if the dangers of AI are what we’re all waiting for regardless, please make it worth it and clean my WHOLE house.
LA: ‘Ed Ruscha / Now Then’, LACMA, Apr 7–Oct 6, 2024
New York: Jenny Holzer: ‘Light Line’, Guggenheim, May 17–September 29
Auckland: Dylan Huata - ‘INTRO-TO-VERT’, Lake House Arts, 06-18 July
Wellington: ‘Ahsin Ahsin: Turbo Croc 2.0’, City Gallery Wellington, from now until Sun 30 June
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I agree Kim, as a non-user of AI, I 'see' from a distance that the problems far outweigh the benefits...maybe that's why I'm still a non-user....but yes, all the perceived benefits seem to be for the business world, and not everyday life - like vacuuming! Dad
I am a user and I am really enjoying learning how to use it responsibly. I’m hoping to thread the needle by using whatever tools are available to me as long as the juice is worth the squeeze.