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Peter Edgerton
Friday, 16 May 2025, 12:34
In all honesty, we don't live in times of great nuance or subtlety, do we? Thanks in large part to unsocial media, we've become highly skilled at seeing the world in black and white. From politics through sport and on to the culture wars, areas of grey are being eradicated fast.
The subject of AI is no exception. On the one hand, there are those who see it as the advent of a spectacular future for humankind while, on the other, the more cautious among us warn of cataclysmic consequences. As is often the case with these things, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Let's look at some pros and cons, then.
It's true, there's something rather unnerving about asking your toaster to explain quantum physics - and getting a reasonably accurate answer, or your phone being cleverer than your uncle Dave and almost as charming.
However, let's start with the good news. AI has made life easier. Much easier. Navigation apps now predict traffic better than weather forecasters predict rain in Manchester. Medical diagnoses are faster, more accurate, and - in some cases - lifesaving. Even the music you didn't know you liked yet is queued up for your listening pleasure before you've put the kettle on. It's not all doom and dystopia.
Businesses are also buzzing. Automated customer service means you can now enjoy the unique pleasure of shouting "Speak to a human!" into your phone at 9.30pm. But, on the bright side, repetitive jobs are being handled more efficiently, freeing up real people to do real thinking - assuming they're given the chance.
Now, the downside. Job security for many is wobblier than a politician's principles. When machines can write code, compose symphonies, and even draw portraits, one starts to wonder whether there's anything left for us carbon-based lifeforms to do. And let's not even get started on deepfakes - a charming little innovation that allows your face to say things you never said, in videos you never made.
Then there's the question of control. Once we've taught the machines how to think, how long before they start teaching us how to behave? The line between assistance and surveillance is thinner than a cheap paper napkin.
Still, perhaps the biggest risk isn't malevolent robots, but our own complacency. AI is a tool, not a conscience. It doesn't understand ethics, love or irony - which is a shame, really, as it might have enjoyed reading this.
So, is AI our saviour or a ticking time bomb?
Well, you can judge for yourselves. Everything in this article (except for the first and last paragraphs) was written by ChatGPT based on the prompt 'Write an article on the pros and cons of AI in the style of Peter Edgerton, columnist for the SUR in English newspaper.'
Zikes!
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