In the previous article I took you on a brief excursion to the current AI landscape and its driving forces. Today I will talk about what is our individual role in the AI world and what should be our attitudes towards it. This will get us more prepared for the next set of articles dedicated to exploring details about more specific avenues of our professional readiness in an uncertain future with AI.
Last week we parted ways on an upbeat note that in order to keep up with AI encroachment into our lives we need to continuously self-educate. Armed with proper knowledge we will be able to timely adjust and avoid anxiety. For that, first things first, we need to understand how to get intimate with AI.
AI is here to stay, it is in our best interest to find our way to upskill ourselves with AI becoming our inseparable co-intelligence mate going forward.
A wakeup call
With the advent of AI our daily life is filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety:
- Is this technology truly capable of cognition?
- What will my career entail?
- What opportunities will my children have?
In our efforts to diffuse those nagging worries we further bombard ChatGPT with impossible questions, in vain hopes to prove to ourselves how baseless those worries are. Only to witness the AI effortlessly answering them. We realize the world will not be the same from now on.
Throughout history, humanity has developed technologies that enhance our physical abilities. Along came the tools that automated specific intricate tasks. However, until now, we’ve yet to invent a universally applicable technology capable of augmenting our intelligence. What we have now is a tool that mimics and sometimes exceeds our cognitive processes, serving as a collaborative intelligence to enhance (or even potentially supplant) our efforts.
Alternative Intelligence
AI is an alternative intelligence that we need to harness for our own good. What do you do in given circumstances? You adapt. You strive to learn more about AI as your potential brainstorming mate, co-creator and collaborator in your daily activities.
AI serves as a reflective companion, enhancing our decision-making processes by prompting us to critically assess our choices rather than solely relying on AI-generated decisions. This collaboration with AI augments our decision-making capabilities in novel ways.
Integrating AI into our daily activities serves to deepen our comprehension of its strengths and weaknesses, a crucial insight in a world where AI’s presence in the workforce continues to expand. As our familiarity with Large Language Models grows, we not only enhance our ability to leverage their strengths but also proactively discern potential threats to our professions. This prepares us for a future where integration of human and artificial intelligence is inevitable.
In this journey you need to be humble and open-minded, and treat AI as an alternative to human intelligence, that:
- can make mistakes, and at the same time wow you with
- astonishing performance in creativity.
Exploring with AI
Through experimentation with AI, you may encounter varying degrees of satisfaction, frustration, usefulness, or unease with AI assistance. Keep in mind though that working with AI extends beyond mere job-related tasks, its value lies not only in its functional assistance but also in its ability to offer an alternative perspective. Don’t forget that we as humans are susceptible to various biases stemming from our inherent subjectivity. Many of these biases originate from our limited capacity and perspectives within our own minds. Treat this journey with AI as a unique eye opening experience that stimulates you to continuously stay open minded.
Let’s see how creative people differ from the rest. They:
- don’t pass on seemingly dull observations,
- connect dots between seemingly unrelated things.
As a result they innovate.
LLMs are prolific innovators that can help us unleash our own creativity because they have:
- massive number of observations points thanks to being trained on millennia worth human experience,
- amazing internal mechanisms to connect remotest ideas into cool concepts.
Don’t shy away from AI, use it as your co-creator!
AI dependency
Another concern that may arise when dealing with AI is the issue of dependency – what if we become overly reliant on AI? Throughout history, the introduction of new technologies has often instigated apprehensions that outsourcing tasks to machines might lead to a loss of essential abilities. However, instead of weakening us, technology has typically bolstered our capabilities.
AI harbors similar potential to augment our abilities. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that blindly delegating decision-making to AI could undermine our judgment skills. The crux lies in ensuring that humans remain integrally involved – to utilize AI as an auxiliary tool rather than a dependency.
Human in the loop
As AI advances in capability and necessitates less human intervention, we still need to embrace the role of being the human within the loop. This requires getting better at the ability to scrutinize the AI for inaccuracies and falsehoods, while maintaining a collaborative relationship without being unduly influenced by it.
Our new role implies providing vital oversight, drawing upon our unique perspective, critical thinking prowess, and ethical considerations. This partnership will yield superior outcomes and ensure our active engagement in the AI-enriched experience, guarding against excessive dependence and complacency.
Besides, remaining within the loop enables us to sustain and refine our own skills, as we actively absorb knowledge from the AI and adapt to novel approaches to problem-solving.
Furthermore, the human-in-the-loop methodology cultivates a sense of accountability and responsibility. By actively participating in the AI process, we retain control over its utilization and impact, ensuring that AI-driven solutions adhere to human values, ethical principles, and societal norms. In the end it is us who become accountable for the outcomes produced by the AI, thereby mitigating potential harm.
As AI continues to advance, our proficiency in being human within the loop will differentiate us compared to other people less immersed in AI collaboration thus giving us a competitive edge.
Don’t kid yourself – AI will get better, not worse.
Keep in mind – AI you’re using or about to use today is likely to be the least advanced or capable AI you’ll ever encounter down the road. While the transition of living with AI may evoke discomfort, it is also offering a glimpse into what lies ahead – how leveraging AI will revolutionize your work, life, and personal growth.
Continuous self-education is a key to being able to gladly embrace changes brought by AI. Keep reading bite-size articles that will help you acquire science based AI intuition.
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