By Juan Santiago, CEO at Santex and Technology with Purpose, Co-Founder of Incutex and Partner at Kalei Ventures.
Imagine a future where people with once-debilitating injuries or illnesses can do things they believed impossible. Where taking care of the planet is a given. Where people can progress at their own pace and be truly engaged in their own learning.
With AI, that could all be possible.
AI is a transformative force. Already, we’re seeing its benefits in industries like healthcare, finance, retail, education, marketing and more.
Along with the many benefits that come with it, however, there are fears surrounding AI—from workforce disruption and privacy concerns to the worry that AI could gain too much power. Those fears are far from unfounded.
The inspiring part is that when we harness AI for good, it becomes a transformative force that paves the way toward a more sustainable and inclusive future for all. In fact, historian and author Yuval Noah Harari noted that we could solve many of our most (seemingly) insurmountable challenges using less than 5% of our coveted resources. What are we waiting for?
How Neuralink Is Giving Agency Back To People
Consider Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic man who became the first human participant in Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain implant chip clinical trial eight years after he was paralyzed from his shoulders down after suffering a spinal cord injury.
The device was implanted beneath Arbaugh’s skull to read neural activity in the brain and connect with a smartphone or computer, allowing the user to control the device with their mind. The brain-computer interface, which connects the human brain with AI, has given Arbaugh a newfound sense of independence.
“It’s just made me more independent, and that helps not only me but everyone around me,” he told Wired. “It makes me feel less helpless and like less of a burden.”
This powerful technology has understandably raised some ethical concerns about privacy. However, with the right regulations in place, Neuralink’s transformative power could completely change the game for some 15 million people facing spinal cord injuries. With that in mind, the risks are certainly worth taking.
AI’s Carbon Footprint: A Net Gain Or Loss?
Sustainability is a collective goal for every nation on our planet. With the globe heating up and resources becoming scarce, we’re constantly looking for solutions. When used correctly, AI offers a promising answer.
Already, it’s driving meaningful change. It’s playing a critical role in smart city development, precision agriculture and renewable electricity. It’s used in satellite monitoring, tracking the impact of climate change and assessing progress toward sustainability goals.
AI has also proved to be central to energy optimization strategies. University of Pennsylvania professor of law and political science Cary Coglianese said: “By accurately forecasting supply and demand for energy, AI can offer electricity optimization strategies, which will become more and more important in the overall transition to renewable energy sources.”
At the same time, it’s essential to be cognizant of the negative ways AI can impact our planet. OpenAI researchers found that since 2012, the computational power necessary for training AI has doubled every 3.4 months—and by 2040, the emissions from the ICT industry are projected to account for 14% of global emissions.
In other words, we can’t dismiss AI’s harmful implications for our ecosystems. We must find ways to navigate AI responsibly and collectively seek solutions to mitigate its adverse consequences.
AI-Powered Personalized Learning: Enhancing Engagement And Education Outcomes
Too often, students are dismissed for having different learning styles. However, picture a classroom where every learner feels seen and heard, where they can express themselves and feel confident in their talents.
Choice Texts by eSpark is an online math and reading program for elementary school students that uses AI to create custom reading passages and reading comprehension questions for individuals based on their interests. Tailoring learning plans and assignments to the unique learner helps students become more engaged in the material.
“The result is that the students are invested in reading it right from the beginning,” Ohio teacher Amy Lower said via EdSurge. “This increased engagement is evident when my students reflect on their learning and say they are excited about what they have read.”
Of course, using this technology in education demands careful planning and an understanding of where it falls short. An important concern here is that AI may be used to perform cognitive tasks for students rather than support their learning process.
Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Chris Dede and postdoctoral fellow Lydia Cao published a report analyzing AI in education and suggesting a path forward. Dede and Cao propose that educators devise a process-oriented curriculum that encourages students to find answers with their own logic and reasoning.
“The more productive way forward is for educators to focus on demystifying AI, emphasizing the learning process over the final product, honoring learner agency, orchestrating multiple sources of motivation, cultivating skills that AI cannot easily replicate, and fostering intelligence augmentation (IA) through building human-AI partnerships,” they wrote. “Through these approaches, educators can harness the benefits of AI while nurturing the unique abilities of humans to tackle big challenges in the 21st century.”
AI Is A Transformative Force—When We Use It Responsibly
There’s no doubt we’re still figuring AI out. Considering its dramatic impact, it’s natural to be apprehensive about how it could change our lives. While we should certainly acknowledge the challenges and concerns that come with any innovation, we should not fear or turn our backs on it.
Just imagine what we could achieve if we united our efforts and ensured AI is used ethically. Think about how we could guarantee all of humanity access to basic necessities—education, food, healthcare and more.
To turn this vision into reality, we must commit to responsible AI use. We can do this by ensuring transparency, fostering fairness to avoid biases, protecting personal data and encouraging collaboration across diverse fields to bring varied perspectives into AI development.
By keeping humanity’s best interests at heart, we can unlock AI’s full potential for a better future.
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