Dear Sophia Mao,

Recently, I read your article “Why AI is More Dangerous Than We Think it is”. Ironically, I wrote a similar article with the same idea of being cautious of AI. I wrote my article on a more specific area, while your’s was more broad. You shared a new idea with me that changed my opinion about AI.

Originally, I was rethinking about being cautious with AI. I thought both of us were being too extreme about the dangers of AI, because some AI are relatively safer. For example, AI for retail, manufacturing, sports analytics, agriculture, and assistance are unlikely to have major malfunctioning consequences. The development of these AI would be a lot faster if companies go with riskier plans. However, the improved development of these AI will not be very beneficial now. As you stated, “a larger impact AI can have on society as a whole is the loss of jobs”. But the future is bright because education rates are improving which will allow AI to help with jobs that do not require education. According to the United States Census Bureau, 90% of Americans 25 and older have at least completed high school in 2017. Since these more minor forms of AI are not necessary yet, more focus should be on AI that deal with health, education, transportation, and the economy.

Your inclusion of the devastating effect of AI shines light on the unwanted consequences of success. Many people are so focused on the benefits of an innovation that they forget to think about the negative effects. You reminded the readers and I to think more long-term which makes a large impact on our opinions.

Overall, I strongly agree with your idea of being cautious with developing AI while thinking in a broad sense. However, some forms of AI are helpful and do not have a major effect on job loss. For example, virtual assistants are a convenience for helping us with our daily needs.

Sincerely,

Frank Yin

Links: https://www.ewcjournal.com/post/why-ai-is-more-dangerous-than-we-think-it-is

https://becominghuman.ai/where-is-artificial-intelligence-used-today-3fd076d15b68

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2018/07/educational-attainment.html