Who’s in Charge?
Artificial intelligence
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Key Stage 4/5
Aims
To consider the impact that artificial intelligence has on our lives.
Preparation and materials
- None required.
Assembly
- The theme tune for BBC TV series Peaky Blinders is ‘Red right hand’ by Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave. At the beginning of 2023, a fan contacted Cave on his blog saying that he’d asked the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to write a song ‘in the style of Nick Cave’. The fan included the lyrics and asked Cave what he thought of it. How did Cave respond to this? He described it as ‘a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human’. He was not a fan!
- So, how do we feel about AI and robotics?
First, let’s get to grips with what they are.
- Artificial intelligence is technology that mimics human perception or cognition. In other words, it imitates what we understand and what we sense (usually visually).
- Robotics is technology that mimics human actions, often in a more precise or more powerful way.
AI and robotics can make our lives considerably easier. In fact, it’s hard to avoid their use: apps, social media, Amazon Alexa and Netflix all make use of AI. - AI takes over many repetitive tasks that would take up a lot of our time. For example, when we are researching a topic, we use a search engine rather than scouring dozens of books. From our phones, we can control many devices, both at home and on the move. Industry uses robotics in many aspects of production and assembly. We can model this even in our own design and technology department in school. AI and robotics are everywhere, benefitting our lives.
However, this is only part of the story. - Ask the students, ‘Do you get annoyed with adverts that constantly pop up on your screen?’
What makes the adverts more annoying is that they often pique our interest. It’s as if they’re tailor-made for us - which, of course, they are. AI is tracking our online chat and our online purchases, and it might even listen to what we say when Alexa is nearby. In this sense, our privacy is being invaded by AI. They (whoever that might be!) have information about our preferences, what we enjoy and who we support. This information is made available to advertisers, who can then target us with their products. And we might be tempted. - AI also enables us to achieve more than we are normally capable of, which opens up the possibility of cheating. For instance, there are tools available for writing essays that are not our own work. At present, this is fairly easy to detect, but as the technology becomes more sophisticated, AI could evade plagiarism detection tools.
Whether that happens or not, there’s little to be gained by cheating. At some point, we will always be found out: it’s important to be true to ourselves. - Some people question where it will all end with AI because it is now being programmed to self-improve and acquire resources remotely. On the one hand, this could mean that technological advances will be faster and more efficient, releasing us for a life of creativity and leisure. On the other hand, it raises the question of whether we’ll reach the point where AI controls us.
We only need to watch films like 2001: A Space Odyssey to see how the computer, HAL, overrules the astronauts! It may lead us to wonder whether one day, AI will supersede humans and rule the world.
Time for reflection
When Nick Cave responded to that fan, he talked about ‘what it is to be human’. This appears to be at the heart of decisions about AI. Do we intend the technology to be an asset towards living a fully human life physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually? Or are we concerned that we might move towards a vegetative state, as machines and programmes take decisions for us, act for us, feel for us? Surely that’s not being human?
There are other questions that we could consider too.
- Where does God fit into an AI life?
- Can a robot feel love?
- Can robots be programmed to enjoy relationships?
You may wish to allow time for the students to discuss these questions.
Spirituality, emotions and relationships are surely at the heart of what it means to be human. If AI can enhance those traits, maybe that is good. However, if AI attempts to replace them, maybe it should carry a health warning.
This month, the International Conference on Robotics and Automation is taking place in London. Hopefully, at some point, one or more of the speakers there will explore the concerns that Nick Cave and others have raised.
Song/music
‘Red right hand’ by Nick Cave, available at: https://youtu.be/KGD2N5hJ2e0 (6.13 minutes long)
Extension activity
- Encourage the students to discuss the following questions:
- Would you be willing to be a passenger in a driverless car?
- Would you undergo a medical operation that was performed by a robot?
