Schulich Prof Exposes Unintended Consequences of AI
Will humans lose jobs to robots in the future? Would you trust a robot nurse to provide proper health care? Who is accountable if a robot commits a crime?
Schulich Professor Russell Belk discusses these matters and more in his most recent article, “Machines and Artificial Intelligence” published in the Journal of Marketing Behaviour (2019).
“My goal is to stimulate marketing and consumer research into related issues, including the possible results of our current and future engagement with technology,” Belk says.
“The ultimate concern for future generations may not be that we pale intellectually and physically in comparison to the machines we’ve created, but rather that we suffer economically at the hands of such machines.”
The creation and usage of tools have always differentiated humans from other animals. The tools we create are powerful and fast. Humans then add intelligence, creativity and problem-solving to the mix. But what happens when technology threatens to slip from human control?
“There is a lingering fear that our machines may out-do, out-smart and out-power us,” says Belk. He doesn’t believe there will be a robot rebellion, but instead a series of small concessions. Belk’s article profiles developments and speculations involving computers, algorithms, AI, robots, cyborgs, transhumanism, post-humanism and more.