In the twelfth episode of the „SKEPSIS” series, Cosima Rughiniș, PhD, teaching staff at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Bucharest, and Raisa-Gabriela Zamfirescu, teaching staff at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, delve into the sociological impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society, highlighting both its benefits and associated risks.
Artificial Intelligence: Progress or Risk Factor?
According to Prof. Cosima Rughiniș, AI plays a pivotal role in redistributing resources, power, and prosperity. While it can serve as a driver of progress and innovation, it is also linked to major risks, including catastrophic scenarios where human control over technology is lost.
The Omnipresence of AI in Everyday Life
AI has become so integrated into daily life that it often goes unnoticed. Generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, have drawn significant public attention and sparked debates, particularly concerning their impact on creative fields. Other examples include recommendation algorithms on social media and ride-sharing apps like Bolt and Uber, which have transformed the industry of taxi services.
AI vs. Human Intelligence
A crucial topic of the discussion is AI’s capacity to generate content that undermines human creativity. However, the fundamental difference lies in the timeline: while AI rapidly evolves and improves within months, human capacity development requires a much longer process.
Strengths and Risks of AI
AI systems excel in processing vast amounts of data, yielding significant advancements in fields like science and medicine. At the same time, they pose notable social risks, including job displacement and excessive dependence on technology. For instance, ChatGPT may diminish activities vital to human critical thinking.
Mitigating the Risks of AI
To safeguard human capabilities, it is essential to regulate AI use, remain actively involved in decision-making processes, and closely monitor its impact.
Launched in October of 2023, the „SKEPSIS” series is a project aimed for the public, where UB researchers analyse scientific truth and public scepticism regarding some of the most controversial topics of the moment from a sociological perspective. The series explores the deep structures that influence our ways of looking at things and acting when our health, identity or future is at stake.
The guests of this series, aimed to explain the evolution of trust and scepticism regarding current subjects, are professors, PhD candidates, and researchers from the academic community of the University of Bucharest.
The format of the episode includes the presentation of the topic, followed by a dialogue between the moderator and the guest speaker.
The video materials in this series are created by the Communication and PR Department of UB, and the results of the research are part of the project „SKEPSIS- Fabrication of uncertainties regarding vaccination and climate change. Comparative study on the legitimacy in two counter-scientific speeches”, implemented by the University of Bucharest and financed by the Ministry of Innovation, Research and Digitalization in Romania, PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-1589.