I am not in the habit of using social media posts as “proof” — yet, this image of Senator Blumenthal using the AI to make his opening remarks at a Senate hearing on legislating restrictions on AI is priceless:
The above was cited in an article in New York Magazine that touts “Regulation of AI is essential,” and I heartily agree.
We–teachers and students alike–need to push for government restrictions on AI before things get way to out of hand in this crazy world. And until they come, we need to understand the current digital landscape.
So I want to be clear: Just because I am advocating for our using and understanding generative AI in teaching and research does not mean I trust it or think that it is being ethically produced and used.
For some quick reading on ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman’s recent testimony before Congress (in which this Tweet was posted), see:
Steib, Matt. “OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says He Wants Regulation for ChatGPT.” New York Magazine, 16 May 2023.
It is certainly a cause for concern, especially in this day and age where AI has developed at an extremely high rate. There are benefits to AI, with or without government intervention, like the use of AI to grammar/spell check our work, generative work for referential use, and more. However, with powerful technology comes a huge responsibility; many bad actors have been experimenting with the use of deepfakes and other manipulative technologies/methods with the intention to deceit and manipulate others into different falsehood and ideas. Although some of these experiments are largely for the purpose of comedic/entertainment value, like having a deepfake of a creator or actor sing a song of your choosing, these mediums could also be used as a malicious way of blackmail or harassment by using your personal information and photos of yourself and creating deepfakes without your permission.
In the video above I saw that the person in the video used AI to open the Senate hearing. I think that that happening it is scary to see because things can be fabricated easily by AI that people would not know what is real and what is not. It should not be used during a situation like that because I think it is unprofessional and untruthful. My predictions for the future are that AI may be used as an everyday tool that will be more accepted by society.