As the range of applications of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to expand, there seems to be no end to technological advancements in sight.
While advances in AI in areas such as content creation have given hope to many, an Ipsos poll conducted already last year found a slight increase in those concerned about possible undesirable effects from AI products and services, to 52%.
This represents a 13 percentage point increase from 2022, as people around the world “are increasingly aware of and concerned about the growing influence of AI.”
A range of implications, from employment and personal privacy to societal and ethical concerns, are of major concern to those wary that AI will eventually surpass human creativity.
While 57% of respondents expect AI to change the way they currently do their jobs within the next five years, 36% expressed concern that AI will completely replace their jobs within that time frame.
According to another recent survey by pollster Gallup, the second-most common concern among respondents was the possibility of wage cuts, at 24%.
Nearly a fifth of workers are worried about a range of risks, ranging from potential technological substitution (22%) to fears of being fired (20%) and reduced working hours (19%).
But these concerns are not widespread everywhere.
For example, the Ipsos survey showed that Indonesian respondents were particularly optimistic: 84% claimed to have a solid understanding of AI, 79% believed AI would significantly transform their lives in the next three to five years, and 75% expressed excitement about AI products and services.
In contrast, Japanese respondents had the lowest understanding of AI at 43%, but also the lowest level of anxiety about AI at 23%.
The line between reality and fiction becomes blurred
Yet a common concern about AI is that as it becomes more advanced and cost-effective, it could lead to human unemployment and replace or diminish human creative effort.
Fears of mass unemployment could rise if AI could surpass humans in speed, accuracy and creativity. However, another view suggests that AI can enhance human creativity by providing us with new tools, insights and possibilities.
At a recent event in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, film director and journalist Amjad Al Noor shared his views on AI anxieties, expressing doubts about whether AI can ever reach the depths of human creativity or be fully integrated into film.
“I think it will make filmmakers look a bit lazy,” he told Anadolu Agency, acknowledging that while AI could be potentially beneficial in terms of screenwriting techniques, doubts remained about its ability to create stories independently.
Al Noor considers himself a friend of AI, but a cautious one.
“AI is a friend that I am still wary of. I'm still old school and not on board with the AI wave,” he said, expressing concern about AI's increasing ability to blur the line between reality and fiction, particularly through deepfake technology.
There's nothing to be afraid of
In other areas, such as accessibility for people with disabilities, AI-driven tools could also help promote inclusion.
For Azima Danji, who runs a social startup providing sign language interpretation services in Pakistan, AI-powered tools could help bridge the communication gap and increase workforce participation for the deaf community.
“Technology has a huge role to play in empowering and providing accessibility to people with disabilities in general, and we should be building more and using more of it,” Danji, CEO of Karachi-based Connecteer, told Anadolu Agency, emphasizing the need to develop and deploy AI-driven tools for sign language translation.
Similarly, in news reporting, AI can act as an additional tool to help with tasks like fact-checking and data analysis, according to Sherrell Dorsey, a journalist and founder of entertainment company The Plug.
She rejected the idea that robots or AI would replace journalists, telling Anadolu Agency: “Critical thinking, editorial eye and judgement will still be in the hands of highly trained and highly skilled journalists.”
“So it's something we don't really need to be afraid of,” she added.
While acknowledging his colleagues' AI-related concerns, Dorsey expressed his belief that the industry will be strengthened by collectively learning to adapt: ”We will all learn to adapt, and that will make us stronger within the industry.”
