Blog Post #10

 Reflections on In the Age of AI

Watching the second hour of Frontline's In the Age of AI felt like seeing into the future. The documentary combines interviews, expert insights, and real-world case studies that showcase AI's good and evil. While the film acknowledges how much potential AI has, for example, advances in healthcare, logistics, and even climate modeling, it does not mean AI can not be harmful, especially when misused in the sense of being weaponized, monetized, or left unchecked.

One of the most influential parts of this video was when it talked about the global race for AI dominance. The complications with the US and China about who will be the one to lead in the innovation of AI and the massive threats to security that come with it are fascinating, as this is not just about who can be bigger and better when it comes to algorithms it is about the data and the fact that both us and china want to own and control that data as they can use it to shape economies, politics, and even culture. Knowing this alone made me realize how big AI has become and how much power it holds.

Privacy was another area that shocked me, as we give away so much data daily, sometimes without even knowing. AI thrives on our data, from online purchases to voice recordings and location pins. All of this is data-driven, and companies will use it to their advantage by targeting ads to give you a form of influence. While it can be very convenient to have these ads almost personalized to you and your taste, they can also be very unsettling, as they raise significant ethical concerns, including who is viewing or collecting our data. Is anyone protecting it, and if so, who?  Why do we not get a say in people viewing or collecting our data?

This documentary also discussed the risks of online security and identity theft. AI can be used to help detect fraud and commit it.  AI produces things like Deepfakes, automated scams, and voice cloning, which is scary as it is becoming hard to tell the difference between the real and the fake, making it hard to trust companies or brands today. If you cannot trust digital content, how can we function as a society that depends on the internet?

However, the entire documentary was not based on an opposing viewpoint. In this world with all the modern technological advancements that we have that are growing at a rapid pace every day, there are always ways to use and misuse them, so we as a society have to do our part and use technology wisely, especially AI, as it can be so beneficial in so many different ways and for so many people as long as you use it the correct way. However, this is not all for us, the people, as we need more transparency, regulation, and public education. So we need the government to do its job and communicate these things to the public, as AI is still new and evolving, and is scary for many people when it does not need to be, as long as you are transparent about its usage.

Overall, this documentary opened my eyes to my knowledge about AI, how it affects us now, and how it will affect us in the future. It's not about being pro or anti-technology; it's just about being informed, as our generation and future generations will have to suffer the consequences if we can't learn how to handle and control these technologies now.