9 Reasons Why You Should Worry About AI Tools

AI is the short form of artificial intelligence. It is not a new term. For years, all of us have been using it in our personal and professional lives. However, the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and a rapid race for developing AI-based generative tools thereafter made AI a trending topic in the contemporary world. At present, we have numerous AI-based generative tools such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, DELLE, Synthesia, Cohere, AlphaCode, StudyGPT, and Claude. 

These AI tools are very helpful whether you want written texts, codes, business ideas, etc. fast. With its rising popularity and fast response, people started worrying about AI-based generative tools. Their worries got worse when some copywriters, designers, developers, and allied professionals were asked to leave what they were doing in March-April 2023. 

And around 100 prominent business owners and scientists, including Geoffrey Hinton (Father of AI) and Altman (Founder of OpenAI) started claiming that AI could be smarter than human beings in creativity and allied things. AI worries got fueled after the publication of Goldman Sachs’s study that estimated the replacement of 300 million jobs by AI-based tools.   

AI-enabled tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, Google Bard, etc., are very beneficial to all human beings. These tools facilitate us to do our work faster and save time, money, and effort. Despite being supportive, these tools are harmful and can make you worry about them if you totally depend on them and avoid consulting a subject expert for a particular topic or help in your personal life or professional life. Having a look at the following reasons or risks/threats can make you comprehend why you should worry about AI:   

Lack of transparency and explainability 

Common people and even experts could find AI and LLMs (large language models) hard to comprehend. It could be due to a lack of transparency. And this could make people unable to understand how and how AI-based tools and chatbots come to conclusions, what data AI algorithms apply, and why these tools could generate biased or unsafe decisions. These concerns have forced experts to make AI-based generative tools explainable and transparent. However, there is a long way before these tools will be transparent and explainable. 

Job losses caused by automation

The automation of repeated tasks is already in practice. However, it has accelerated after the launch and popularity of ChatGPT and allied AI-based generative tools. The adoption of AI-enabled tools in business sectors like manufacturing, marketing, and healthcare has increased the concern of job automation that could result in job losses. As per McKinsey, around 30% of the US economy could be automated by 2030. In addition, Goldman Sachs study has predicted that AI automation could cause the loss of 300 million full-time jobs.   

Plagiarism 

Yeah, it is true that texts or outputs generated by AI-based tools look attractive and save our time. However, you should not forget that the content produced by AI-based generative tools could be plagiarized. Despite the constant development and improvements taking place, these tools could produce plagiarized texts, images, or any content form. As a user, you should check the generated content for plagiarism before using them in your professional life or for digital platforms. 

Violation of copyright

In addition to plagiarism, copyright is a big issue with AI tools. Experts have been using the data of well-known authors or the ones available on the internet without taking permissions of respective owners. According to media reports, approximately 100 authors in the US and the UK have raised their concerns over their original work and taken legal action against Altman (founder of Open AI) over copyright infringement.    

Spread of misinformation 

Due to fast response and easy availability, it has become easier to generate more content pieces in less time with low effort. This has caused a flood of information on all digital platforms. Even being updated with each passing day, week, or month, AI-generative tools do not produce the exact sources of information, especially for specific statistics or data such as one in every six people is infertile can easily found on the official website of WHO. You can make it a reference by producing an external link in the write-up you manually composed. On the other hand, you can’t find the exact source for the same if your text is generated by an AI tool. 

Manipulation of society through AI algorithms 

Any technical advancement leaves a greater impact on society. We have witnessed it from the one caused by the Industrial Revolution that replaced many human workers due to use of machines for product production. In 2016, Cambridge Analytica affected the US Presidential election and influenced people to elect Donald Trump as the US President. Another example is the use of the TikTok troll army in the 2022 Philippines Election. In the current digital world, it is hard to find what is real and what is not real. 

Security and privacy threat 

Experts use a lot of data to train an AI model. Such data could be personal, sensitive, or security related. As a conscious person, you need to think about what would happen if an AI model uses the data wrongly. Several experts have warned that they can force ChatGPT and allied AI tools to get what they want through specific commands. It means you (a user) need to be very careful while using an AI-based tool in your personal or professional life. Never share your sensitive or personal data with any AI-enabled tool. 

Rise in the development of autonomous weapons

We have numerous examples to know how technological developments resulted in warfare. According to a BBC report on 26-27 October 2023, Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, is afraid that AI tools could help ill-minded people develop chemical weapons. He has said that society and experts could lose control over AI tools. And this could cause the destruction of humanity. 

Socioeconomic inequality

Due to automation, companies and business houses are moving ahead to use the AI powered Facial Recognition Tools in their recruitment process. If it starts, there are concerns over the rise in racial, geographical, and community biases. As per a Forbes report of June 2021, around 70% of professionals doing blue-collar jobs have witnessed a decrease in their wage and have a higher risk of losing their jobs due to the automation of repeated tasks. The constant rise in AI automation can make a big financial gap between people that have been prevailing for years.