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Seemingly every day, news headlines signal the dangerous pace at which technology, namely artificial intelligence (AI), is revolutionizing nearly all facets of work and life. From Hollywood to big tech to political discourse, AI (and the risks associated with it) is top of mind, influencing how companies and individuals brace for potential impact.
Of course, society has grappled with technology-driven paradigm shifts throughout history, from the introduction of the automobile to the ubiquity of the television to more recently our collective dependence on digital devices. At each stage, people worry about the cascading effects these innovations may have on society, though admittedly, prior to discussions of AI’s potential for disruption, “the extinction of the human race” has seldom been a major concern.
Fighting for the AI Present (and Future) That Serves Us
So, what can we do to protect ourselves from the most extreme risks of this technology? Some are calling for companies like OpenAI and Google to slow down development. Others are demanding protections for jobs most likely to be impacted by AI. Surely, legislation must do its best to keep pace, and there will be jobs and entire industries that are disrupted or made obsolete in the age of AI.
Still, fighting with the future is a losing battle. We are not going back to a time when AI was science fiction. Instead, we have to put all of our energy into fighting for the future that we want. If those of us considering the risks sit on the sidelines or try to put up barriers to innovation, we will leave its development up to groups and organizations without our best collective interests at heart.
An Optimistic Future
There are risks with any innovation. Consider our reliance on digital devices, which many experts now see as contributing to an era of loneliness, especially among young people. Yet technology also pushes us forward as a species. We have no choice but to be optimistic about our future, and thankfully, we have good evidence to justify this approach.
For all of humanity’s current turmoil, on a global scale, we are wealthier, healthier and happier than ever before. More people are able to contribute to our collective advancement, too. In fact, in the early 1800s, only 10 percent of the world was literate, and today, that number is closer to 85 percent.
Who Guides the Way?
As we have done throughout history, we should look to the creative class to help navigate this most recent era of chaos. Art and design are both influenced by the environment in which we live and they themselves influence our way forward.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
Creativity, or innovation, as a practice, is unique because it can evolve with society, acting as connective tissue through our history and our future. Photography, music, color and typography are examples of resilient art forms that have been able to transcend paradigms. For example, typefaces like Futura and Helvetica remain popular in digital environments nearly a century after being originally introduced.
New advancements in creative technology are also being applied to help us stay intellectually engaged at all stages of our lives. When we experience changes to our hearing or vision, today we can adapt our environment to fit our needs with technology, quickly adjusting the font sizes on our devices or using other adaptive technology like screen readers or live captioning to continue consuming information. These kinds of applications are helping people remain engaged and productive as we live longer.
Designing the Future
Today, organizations like the Center for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), which includes a consortium of industry leaders like Google, Adobe, Microsoft, Monotype (my company) and more, are working to develop open technical standards that can help trace the origin of media files, protecting the history and importance of human-centered design.
Initiatives such as this can help us meet the pace of technology with regulations, standards and societal change that can help us realize the full potential of this technology. Unfortunately, too often creative leaders are left out of the conversations, the boardrooms and the governmental groups affecting change as we realize a collective future. When chaos erupts, the creative class always helps us make sense of it, process it and find pockets of opportunity. AI has real potential when it is used to help elevate the floor for creative output and to reduce toil, paving the way for even more prolific human creativity.
Today, the opportunity (and the risk of not pursuing it) has never been clearer. For designers, artists, producers and anyone in creative fields, now is the time to organize and advocate for the protection and value of creative work. For business and government leaders, ensuring that creative leaders are included in policy and strategy planning is also of critical importance in this new era.
The future is worth fighting for, and while change is inevitable, we have control over where we go next.
