Q&A with ai@work facilitator
Liz Kearns, a senior lecturer at ILR School, and Martin Percy, director of the interactive film “AI Basics,” recently led five workshop sessions on the impact of AI on the work. Funded by ILR Applied Research Center at Workknown as Carrow. Percy provided information about the workshop in QA format.
Q. What was the purpose and structure of the workshop session?
AI@work is a two-hour workshop designed for people without technical backgrounds to learn about AI and the impact of topics such as unionization and job futures on work. In total, five sessions from AI@work were held, funded by ILR Carow.
The program focuses on interactive films called “AI Basics: Thrills or Chills?” The film focuses on AI, and in the AI@work sessions the film was used as a tool to discuss how AI affects labor and employment. AI Basics has been used in Zoom in-person at venues such as King's College Cambridge, Yes College Cambridge Intellectual Forum and University of London for roughly 40 sessions in the UK. Here's the basic trailer for AI: https://youtu.be/llpt6pyk6xc
Q. What inspired this AI look?
We see the rise of AI as a crisis on a scale similar to that of a climate emergency, but it is also a potentially significant opportunity. The possibility of disrupting industry and everyday life is immeasurable. Even if you're not directly involved in technology, AI can quickly influence your world. Just because you're not interested in AI doesn't mean that your AI isn't interested in you.
Q. Are there any sessions that the public can register?
The AI@Work session is currently suspended, but we continue to hold AI Basics sessions. register here I will be participating in future sessions.
Q. Who took part in the session?
The sessions were conducted via Zoom and attracted mostly Cornell University students, particularly those from academics and staff, as well as masters of industrial labor relations programs. Members and other community participants also participated.
Q. What are some of the issues you've covered?
AI is the term for confusing umbrellas. ai@work breaks down subjects into four parts. Interactive videos encourage participants to play virtually and opinion-based questions in group discussions that follow each video.
- Narrow AI: This section examines systems that have been in use since the 1990s and examines issues such as algorithm bias.
- Generated AI: Here we explore the impact of generated AI following the rapid growth of the 2020s on creative work and human creativity, for example.
- Human-level AI: This part examines AI systems that mimic human behavior and questions whether they truly represent something new.
- Superintelligent AI: Consider scenarios where machines outweigh human intelligence.
Q. Did participants get chilled or excited?
The workshop was set up as an open discussion rather than a platform to promote a specific view of AI. Towards the end of the film, I asked, “How do you feel about AI?” Approximately 40% of participants thought that both risk and benefits were balanced, with 30% being slightly positive or negative, and the remaining 15% having strong opinions on AI. Overall, most sessions were rather balanced in their view.
Q. What surprised you about Carow AI@Work Sessions?
One unexpected observation came from Cornell Advanced degree students (data science, human capital) who attended the session. Many of them are probably on the verge of starting a high-paying job in the high-tech industry. Despite this promising trajectory, few expressed unsuppressed enthusiasm for AI. Instead, they provided a measured view that recognized both potential benefits and risks.
Q. How do you foresee workers engaged in AI issues in the workplace or in the community?
Workers respond in a variety of ways. Some have already adopted AI tools like chatgpt, but are worried about the potential job losses. Others are pushing back. AI@work covers the Writer Guild of America Strike, in which writers successfully negotiated the ban on films and television purely written by the AI system. Others express their opinions more directly by destroying Waymo self-driving cars in San Francisco and Los Angeles, for example. This series of reactions could continue.
Q. How does Labor Lens offer a unique perspective on AI?
Looking at AI through a labor lens can underscore how technology creates and destroys work, and its balance can be upsetting. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, technological changes disrupted the balance between job creation and job losses, leaving many workers behind. The current question is whether AI is just as upsetting as it brings that balance. If not checked, there is a very realistic nightmare scenario. AI can lead to a future in which small elites become extremely rich and the majority remain penniless. Strong labor protection and effective unionization are ways to prevent this dystopian outcome.
Q. How has your opinion on AI changed since I started researching these issues?
When I first started running AI basic sessions, I thought that AI had marked a milestone in human history with the potential to change every aspect of human life and reconstruct how we see ourselves and our place in the universe. But after doing over 40 sessions of participatory documentaries, I now believe that AI is far more important than that.
Q. How would you like to have an impact on this workshop?
This workshop is designed to encourage thoughtful discussions about the ethical and political implications of AI. The impact is growing stronger. Most participants say the session had a major impact on their opinions on AI.
Q. Given the rapid advances in AI in the future, what additional topics will you include?
The new topics to add are:
• AI carbon dioxide emissions
The rise of autonomous weapons
The dangers of unregulated open source AI
Robotics
They also aim to empower participants by teaching AI-Prompting skills that cover how to generate effective prompts such as text, images, videos, audio, etc. This practical training helps people use it with confidence, whether it's a creative job or a daily task.
