Artificial intelligence should augment, not replace, human beings

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Fear of automation is difficult to quell. A recent survey reveals that the greatest fear of the US market regarding AI is that automation will lead to widespread unemployment.

Photo: NaturalNews / Google Atlas robots

By Esteban Fredin

SYZGY, the communications and digital marketing agency, recently conducted a survey to know the opinion of the American market about Artificial Intelligence (AI). The results suggest that to gain wider acceptance, it is necessary to emphasize how these technologies augment, not replace, human intelligence and skills.

Still, fear of automation is difficult to quell. The aforementioned report opens with three cases in which AI is gaining round against human beings in the marketing industry. The retailer Cosabella, recently replaced its digital marketing agency with an AI platform named Albert, developed by the company Adgorithms. Coca-Cola is experimenting with bots to automate the narratives inside their ads, and the vision of its digital director, Mariano Bosaz, is that there will be an increasing use of it throughout the advertising process. Meanwhile, in Japan, a creative director and his cybernetic counterpart competed to see who could make the best Clorets commercial; the human director won by a margin of only 8%.

In resonance with this scenario, the survey reveals that the greatest fear in the US market regarding the AI is that automation will lead to widespread unemployment. This and other fears such as erosion of privacy, and the dehumanization of social life are combined, almost paradoxically, with feelings of indifference, uncertainty and skepticism. Overall, the surveyed public has no problems with AI  creating or directing advertisements and promotions customized for them - 80% of participants are in favor or are indifferent to it.  

The recipe for coexistence between the consumer and the machine according to the report, is that companies assume a code of conduct that puts the user first, avoiding deception and manipulation. Users value that companies are honest and open about how and when they use AI.

In the same way, they want know when they are interacting or consuming content produced by computers. Ideally, this technology has the potential to be used for the public good; people can make purchasing decisions according to their actual needs, based on reliable and unbiased information.

Adherence to these principles is also directly relevant to innovation in education, as AI applications start flooding not only the advertising sphere, but many other sectors, including education itself.

 SYZYGY Digital Insight Report

SYZYGY Digital Insight Report

We need a collaborative artificial intelligence that frees time up, reduces procedural and bureaucratic drudgery, while helping us navigate more objectively a noisy media environment. As long as consumers’ expectations are met, one could say that "this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship."