AI is already being used in many areas of our lives, from digital assistants like Siri to driverless cars. As this technology continues to advance rapidly, it naturally evokes strong reactions and opinions.
It’s completely normal to feel both excitement and apprehension about AI. On one hand, the potential seems enormous – AI could help solve complex problems, improve efficiency, and enable new innovations that enhance life. AI also presents opportunities in areas like education, healthcare, the arts, and sciences. It’s understandable to feel hopeful about beneficial changes AI may drive.
At the same time, AI raises understandable worries related to displacement of jobs, privacy erosion as systems collect more data, lack of transparency in AI decision-making, and potential for exacerbation of bias. The sheer complexity of advanced AI makes the technology difficult to fully understand or control. So it is perfectly natural to be apprehensive about the unpredictable or unintended consequences of AI technologies.
Stop and Reflect:
Before we begin, take a moment to reflect on your own thoughts and feelings regarding artificial intelligence. There are no right or wrong answers – this is an opportunity for you reflect on your feelings around this topic. Consider the following questions:
- What excites you most about AI?
- What worries you most about AI?
Share how you feel about AI in this short anonymous survey: How do you feel about AI? You can see all of the previous results in the word cloud below:
What concerns are there about AI today?
Stop and Reflect:
What concerns do you have about AI?
Take a moment to note down any concerns you may have about using AI Tools.
If you are feeling anxious about these recent technological developments, the most important thing for you to realise is that you are not alone. A study conducted by Microsoft found that students often had several concerns:
Read: 6 Tips for beating AI anxiety, plus AI news & views | LinkedIn
If you are feeling anxious about the rise of these new AI tools, the best thing you can do is discuss this with either Manchester Met’s Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing Service or your personal tutor. However, we have also included an article for you here with some handy tips on how to deal with negative emotions that may arise from this technology.