by Associate Professor Dr James Birt
Artificial intelligence is coming to the pockets of 1.3 billion iPhone users following Apple’s announcement this week that it is integrating the technology into its devices.
The company’s virtual assistant Siri will soon be powered by advanced language model ChatGPT, surely a relief to those who have ever asked it the location of the closest service station, only for it dial your accountant.
So, Siri gets to keep its job, albeit after a brain transplant. What about the rest of us?
Elon Musk recently spoke of a future where AI would assume all jobs, rendering employment optional and necessitating a system of universal basic income.
However, this perspective, often seen as dystopian, isn’t universally embraced.
Many experts argue that while AI will reshape the nature of work, it won’t eradicate the need for human labour.
Instead, it will create new job opportunities and demand new skills, leading to a dynamic and evolving job market.
History supports this view.
Technological advancements have consistently resulted in the creation of new jobs and industries, even as they rendered some occupations ripe for transformation or obsolescence.
The current job market, the largest in history, serves as evidence that technology has not made people obsolete.
Despite fears of job displacement, AI’s true potential lies in transforming jobs rather than eliminating them.
AI can automate repetitive and mundane tasks, allowing human workers to focus on more complex and fulfilling aspects of their roles.
This transition can enhance job satisfaction and fuel innovation.
For example, in education, AI can support teachers by handling administrative tasks and providing personalised learning experiences.
In healthcare, AI can assist with diagnostics and routine procedures, enabling medical professionals to allocate more time to patient care.
Similarly, in marketing, AI can facilitate creative brainstorming and user experience design.
These examples illustrate AI’s potential as a powerful tool for augmenting human capabilities rather than supplanting them.
While the economic and optimisation benefits of AI are evident, ethical and legal challenges must be addressed.
AI is not a new concept; it has been around since 1956, with many fluctuations since then.
It was always on the horizon waiting for the right triangulation of factors which is evident today through processing power, data ubiquity and a business environment focused on workplace productivity.
However, its resurgence, exemplified by its embrace by Apple, presents significant ethical and legal considerations that must be carefully navigated.
The rapid pace of AI advancement necessitates the development of regulatory frameworks to prevent misuse, such as deepfake technology and other unethical applications.
Although Europe and the US are leading in establishing policies prioritising privacy, IP and ethical data usage, implementation across borders remains challenging.
It is also difficult to determine who holds the copyright and if we the people deserve our fair share of the profits given it is trained on our data.
Opportunities exist for Australia to maximise the positive impact of AI models including developing public sector AI models, democratising access to high-performance computing, sharing datasets, promoting skills uplift, and fostering international collaborations.
Australia’s AI sovereignty and the importance of government and industry investment in AI capacity cannot be overstated.
According to a recent report by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, foundation models – the technology underpinning the rise of generative AI – could significantly enhance Australia’s productivity, bolster the economy, and transform industries.
These models, trained on vast amounts of data and capable of performing wide-ranging, complex, and generalised tasks, power AI products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini.
However, Australia currently lacks its own foundation models.
While finetuning existing foreign models offers benefits in terms of cost and innovation speed, it poses security and reliability risks.
Over the past two decades, AI has undergone significant shifts, and the next two decades promise even more exciting developments.
But if I were you, I would keep your day job!
Dr James Birt is an Associate Professor of creative media studies with research interests in AI, computer science and virtual, augmented and extended reality technology.