Is AI Bad for Society?

AI is detrimental to society because, as it grows more powerful, it may become independent, complicating coding efforts. Eventually, it could begin to act on its own and pose dangers to humans. AI can also invade your privacy by stealing and processing your information without your consent. This data can then be exploited by hackers, scammers, or foreign nations. Even if the AI functions well, a single misclick could grant it access to your account. Once it occupies roles, individuals may find themselves lacking the skills or talents for other jobs, leading to social and economic inequality. If those programming AI systems hold biases, this could perpetuate inequalities and harm people, particularly in areas like law enforcement or banking. AI can manipulate individuals through deep fakes. It may also demonstrate bias against certain groups, as developers might unintentionally infuse their biases into the AI algorithms. Moreover, the reliability of AI data sources is questionable, which poses risks, especially in financial services. Training AI incurs financial expenses and impacts the environment. AI requires significant funds for training and also depletes the Earth’s resources, increasing electricity demand and water consumption. According to the Applied AI Course, the use of AI may diminish creativity, emotional engagement, and learning, as individuals may merely replicate its outputs. Your physical safety is also threatened as self-driving cars become more prevalent; if these technologies are not developed correctly, they could malfunction and cause harm. According to the European Leadership Network, AI represents a global threat, as nations could leverage it for mass destruction.

AI is not only dangerous but also a waste of money to invest in. According to Forbes, up to 80% of AI initiatives fail. So, do you want your money to be set up for failure? MIT professor Daron Acemoglu believes that companies are wasting vast amounts of money by investing in AI when its net effect will be wasted. AI requires significant funds for training and also depletes the Earth’s resources. According to MIT News, rapid development and powerful AI models come with environmental consequences, including increased electricity demand and water consumption. Investing in AI is also risky for personal investors. According to DC.gov, claims of high guaranteed investment returns with little risk are classic warning signs of fraud. You could also be investing in something that attempts to steal data and other valuables, putting you at risk. You never know if the AI is working against or with you. Investing in AI is risky as well. After all, if the company you invest in faces competition and its rivals create a better AI, the stocks you own stocks may plummet, causing you to lose money.

And as the world gets increasingly digital, hackers and the rise of AI could lead to serious problems. One problem is that hackers can use AI to infiltrate bank accounts and steal money undetected. It might seem like a small deal, but AI can infiltrate governments. According to 3.0 University, AI can replace hackers since they are way faster and more intelligent than hackers. This can be a problem as terrorists from other countries can try to use it to take down governments. Once one account is hacked, the rest become easier. According to FindLaw, hackers can download viruses and commit identity fraud. According to NBC News, there will be a tsunami of fraud, and using AI will make it easier. There have been job applicants using AI to try to secure a job. Using deepfakes and AI-generated videos will be hard to identify, making your accounts vulnerable to being hacked.