In this column we have already talked about the difference between delegating our work to generative artificial intelligence and collaborating with it to complement ourselves and achieve better results. Within this distinction is the ongoing debate over whether artificial intelligence (AI) will put us all out of work. It seems like a trite debate, but it remains a latent fear in many industries and is undoubtedly an important issue to consider, both in the use of technology and in the design of the solutions we build. Curiously, some of the companies that are leading and starring in this technological revolution are sending messages that lean more toward the stance of “delegating,” which can have dangerous consequences.
A couple of weeks ago we met the new Apple Intelligence campaign. With a comedic tone, one of the commercials shows Warren, an overweight office worker, with a disinterested attitude and procrastinating in his work. It is clear that the guy is not the most capable and the reactions of his companions show that they consider him a fool. When the time comes to make a e-mail feedback on a project, write anything, with unprofessional language and non-existent words. Apple’s AI turns this email in a perfectly written, very professional message, which provokes a reaction of astonishment by who we can understand is his supervisor. He spot It closes by glorifying Warren for having seemed very intelligent despite not being so. The piece certainly manages to make you laugh when you see it and it certainly works; perfectly communicates the benefit of the product. But is that the approach we want to start giving to generative artificial intelligence tools?
in his book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995), astrophysicist Carl Sagan expressed concern about American society. He envisioned a future in which his children and grandchildren lived in a country where power over technology and information was in the hands of a few, leading society to a state of darkness, unable to question authority or distinguish between what that is good or true.
His reflection is much deeper than that paraphrase, but Sagan mentions that this decline in intelligence would become increasingly evident in the content of the mass media. Today you can really notice a celebration of ignorance in much of what we consume in commercial film and television, and the message of Apple’s campaign is probably one of the clearest examples. In short, it is inviting us to behave like idiots freely, since we can leave intelligence—or appearing to be intelligent—completely in the hands of AI.
We know that this reading of Apple’s campaign may seem a bit exaggerated, understanding that it simply seeks to entertain and communicate the product’s promise of value with humor. But on the other hand, communicators and media probably owe it to themselves to be the most careful and responsible right now, since we are facing technological tools that are really going to transform the world in many ways.
It seems like a subtlety, but it is not very smart to communicate technological advances as an invitation to be less intelligent and in the process celebrate this ignorance as if it were the goal of technological progress. Perhaps we need to change the way humans are selling AI tools before it’s too late. What should be the approach?
An AI-powered Renaissance
Artificial intelligence should not be a substitute for our human capabilities, but rather a multiplier of them. In your speech at the University of BolognaReid Hoffman talks about a concept that perfectly defines this vision: Homo technethe human being as creator and user of tools. This idea is fundamental because, as Hoffman explains, we don’t build tools solely to make our lives easier, faster, or more efficient. The best tools have the power to make our lives more collaborative, more beautiful, and more meaningful.
Here lies the great opportunity of AI: to use it as a catalyst to awaken our curiosity, expand our possibilities and elevate us as humanity. It’s not about thinking less, but creating more. Just as the Renaissance spurred a flowering of art, science and humanism, today we are in a unique position to begin a new Renaissance, but this time in the mental realm, where tools like artificial intelligence allow us to explore the limits of the possible. .
Artificial intelligence is driving educational personalization and online information consultation. We talk about this today in PROMPTING, WIRED en Español’s column dedicated to exploring the scope of AI.
Hoffman points out that the history of humanity is also the history of our technology. From the first stone tools to the cathedrals of the Renaissance, what has always defined our progress is our ability to create something greater than ourselves. And now we have a tool that can help us build the cathedrals of the mind: systems and solutions that not only solve problems, but also inspire, connect and enrich.
As Hoffman mentions, “Beauty is created with tools, and tools create beauty: that is the story of the upliftment of humanity.” This should be the ultimate goal of AI: not to glorify ignorance, but to elevate creativity, collaboration, and our ability to contribute something meaningful to the world.
AI puts us in front of a unique responsibility: to decide how we shape this technology so that, in turn, this technology shapes us. The time to act is now, not only to harness their capabilities, but to redefine how we use them for the common good. Communicators and the media have the enormous duty of choosing the right words. The invitation is clear: it is not about delegating our humanity to machines, but about using these tools to build a more beautiful, more intelligent and more human future.
#trap #delegating #capabilities
