Artificial Intelligence: Part of Progress or Our Demise? 

AI is a tool, the use of which will determine the value of its impact

For much of human history, philosophers speculated that humanity's progress would endlessly continue on an upward slope, with each new invention equating advancement.  Over the course of the last century, innovations ranging from the vacuum cleaner to the typewriter to the iPhone have been promoted as tools to make our lives easier and give us more time for leisure activities.  Artificial intelligence was also intended to be leveraged for human benefit, but like other innovations it has had many unintended consequences.  AI has already replaced some low level job positions, but many fear it will continue to eliminate the entry level positions that sustain workers without a formal education.  

AI artwork inspired by the late painter Bob Ross

Additionally, the long held narrative that inventions can only aid us by giving us more leisure time has further fallen apart due to the creation of Artificial Intelligence.  Instead of giving humans more free time to make art and poetry, AI has become a popular source of free, instant art, hurting the businesses of real human artists.  Also, AI creates art by stealing works of artists and analyzing and copying their styles.  Even worse, such AI image generators do not give credit to the humans who “inspire” its work.  

How will AI affect the job market?

Artificial Intelligence will undoubtedly leave a complicated legacy.  While AI is a helpful tool for completing trivial tasks, it is still in its early stages and cannot be trusted as an accurate source of information yet.  Additionally, AI has been known to steal the creative works of writers and authors without their permission.  In such cases the AI bots have also failed to credit the original artists.  Outside of the art world, there are also ethical concerns about how AI could contribute to disparities in the job market.  If AI only takes jobs requiring unskilled labor, then how will those who cannot afford to attend university or trade school find employment?  Will AI only enlarge economic disparities, allowing the rich to get richer while the poor suffer?  AI is a neutral tool that can be used in beneficial and harmful ways, but its introduction to society has come with many ethical consequences that have yet to be addressed.