It’s almost here 2024, we’ve collectively spent the last seven years by my count, saying, Oh, next year will be better. And we’ve meant it, I meant it. Or we’ve tried to convince ourselves that we mean it. And a recent Ipsos poll found that 70% of survey takers were optimistic about the coming year. Amazing. So I’m here to tell you that 2024 is going to be just great, mostly because the alternative is too depressing. In particular, I am going to focus on the rise of AI because this is a topic that concerns me personally a great deal. And it’s something I definitely foresee being an even more major topic of consideration in the coming year than it is today. I’m a writer, I come up with ideas, and then I put them on paper. And I do this for a living. So the idea that a chatbot can essentially do like a significant percentage of my job for me, and for countless other people and countless other industries across the country. It’s scary. But when I talk about these anxieties with my son, who is 12, and also quite wise, and who has spent the entirety of his life in close contact with digital miracles of one kind or another, when I talk to him about this, he asks me what to my mind is an excellent question. He says, Well, why do you think artificial intelligence would necessarily be bad? Well, because I don’t know because humans are corruptible. And AI confers power and power corrupts. But anyway, then he says to me, wait, but AI is theoretically smarter than humans. So isn’t it more likely that it’ll be better than us may be able to solve problems that are beyond us, like global hunger, or even help us learn to treat each other better and more fairly. Okay, that’s possible. In my own life, I’ve actually started to engage with AI, despite considerable apprehension, and I have discovered that there are absolutely ways that I can use it to significantly beneficial effect. As an example, for the past few months, I’ve been using this AI personal assistant service, it’s called duckbill. And it does kind of everything, it’ll import your kids schedules into your calendar, it’ll make you a DMV appointment, it’ll give you suggestions for anniversary gifts. And this is all through an AI portable, and thus very accessible and even affordable. So outsourcing like this is something that would never have crossed my mind even a few months ago. But now there’s an entire section of my brain, let’s call it the mom part of my brain that feels decluttered like someone stopped by to take a whole bunch of stuff off my plate and then just left, thereby freeing me up to work on things that actually advance my career or that actually, I don’t know, make me happy. Will AI developments result in job losses? Absolutely. Absolutely. They will. And yeah, and it is a scary thing. But humans are nothing if not endlessly inventive. And I have to believe that AI will also create jobs that we simply cannot conceive of right now. Not to mention the positive developments. It has the potential to bring in the fields of safety, transit, healthcare, and so on. So will AI save us all? Maybe in 2024? We’ll find out the answer. I sincerely hope that this segment does not age poorly. Happy to hear
Commentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
‘Extreme’ or ‘fake’: Swing voters weigh Trump or Harris
Monday Dr. Frank Luntz‘Strong’: Why some men say they’ll vote for Trump
Oct 29 Dr. Frank Luntz‘Easy answer is China’: National security experts discuss gravest concerns
Oct 24 Dr. Frank Luntz‘Awful’: Americans discuss Congress, Supreme Court, capitalism
Oct 18 Dr. Frank LuntzWhy I’m guardedly optimistic about artificial intelligence
By Straight Arrow News
Artificial intelligence (AI) became an integral part of Americans’ daily lives in 2023. Looking ahead to 2024, anticipations are high for advancements in AI technology, with implications for industries like healthcare, transportation and education. But the breakneck pace of advancements has raised ethical concerns about its effects on society.
Straight Arrow News contributor Jordan Reid is anxious about the widespread job displacement expected across various industries due to AI. She also sees AI’s potential for good and its capacity to bring about beneficial changes on a global scale.
So the idea that a chatbot can essentially do like a significant percentage of my job for me, and for countless other people and countless other industries across the country — it’s scary. But when I talk about these anxieties with my son, who is 12, and also quite wise, and who has spent the entirety of his life in close contact with digital miracles of one kind or another, when I talk to him about this, he asks me what, to my mind, is an excellent question.
He says, “Well, why do you think artificial intelligence would necessarily be bad?”
Well, because I don’t know, because humans are corruptible, and AI confers power, and power corrupts.
But anyway, then he says to me, “Wait, but AI is theoretically smarter than humans. So isn’t it more likely that it’ll be better than us, maybe able to solve problems that are beyond us, like global hunger, or even help us learn to treat each other better and more fairly?”
Okay, that’s possible. In my own life, I’ve actually started to engage with AI, despite considerable apprehension, and I have discovered that there are absolutely ways that I can use it to significantly beneficial effect.
It’s almost here 2024, we’ve collectively spent the last seven years by my count, saying, Oh, next year will be better. And we’ve meant it, I meant it. Or we’ve tried to convince ourselves that we mean it. And a recent Ipsos poll found that 70% of survey takers were optimistic about the coming year. Amazing. So I’m here to tell you that 2024 is going to be just great, mostly because the alternative is too depressing. In particular, I am going to focus on the rise of AI because this is a topic that concerns me personally a great deal. And it’s something I definitely foresee being an even more major topic of consideration in the coming year than it is today. I’m a writer, I come up with ideas, and then I put them on paper. And I do this for a living. So the idea that a chatbot can essentially do like a significant percentage of my job for me, and for countless other people and countless other industries across the country. It’s scary. But when I talk about these anxieties with my son, who is 12, and also quite wise, and who has spent the entirety of his life in close contact with digital miracles of one kind or another, when I talk to him about this, he asks me what to my mind is an excellent question. He says, Well, why do you think artificial intelligence would necessarily be bad? Well, because I don’t know because humans are corruptible. And AI confers power and power corrupts. But anyway, then he says to me, wait, but AI is theoretically smarter than humans. So isn’t it more likely that it’ll be better than us may be able to solve problems that are beyond us, like global hunger, or even help us learn to treat each other better and more fairly. Okay, that’s possible. In my own life, I’ve actually started to engage with AI, despite considerable apprehension, and I have discovered that there are absolutely ways that I can use it to significantly beneficial effect. As an example, for the past few months, I’ve been using this AI personal assistant service, it’s called duckbill. And it does kind of everything, it’ll import your kids schedules into your calendar, it’ll make you a DMV appointment, it’ll give you suggestions for anniversary gifts. And this is all through an AI portable, and thus very accessible and even affordable. So outsourcing like this is something that would never have crossed my mind even a few months ago. But now there’s an entire section of my brain, let’s call it the mom part of my brain that feels decluttered like someone stopped by to take a whole bunch of stuff off my plate and then just left, thereby freeing me up to work on things that actually advance my career or that actually, I don’t know, make me happy. Will AI developments result in job losses? Absolutely. Absolutely. They will. And yeah, and it is a scary thing. But humans are nothing if not endlessly inventive. And I have to believe that AI will also create jobs that we simply cannot conceive of right now. Not to mention the positive developments. It has the potential to bring in the fields of safety, transit, healthcare, and so on. So will AI save us all? Maybe in 2024? We’ll find out the answer. I sincerely hope that this segment does not age poorly. Happy to hear
Americans have tough work ahead if they want to remain free
Trump’s racist rally a preview of what’s to come if he wins
The case against TikTok
Why is Trump spreading lies about FEMA and disaster response?
Why we must double down for a Kamala Harris victory
Underreported stories from each side
The Guardian offers staffers counseling over Donald Trump’s ‘upsetting’ election win
11 sources | 0% from the left Getty ImagesJimmy Kimmel Responds to Elon Musk Calling Him a ‘Propaganda Puppet’
16 sources | 8% from the right Getty ImagesLatest Stories
Mauritius blocks social media after wiretapping scandal ahead of election
Long held beliefs about some victims of Pompeii may be false: Study
N. Korea soldiers in Russia 'gorge on porn' accessing internet for first time
Private jet emissions up nearly 50% by world's wealthiest individuals
Judge grants request to put Trump’s 2020 election interference case on hold
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Trump’s victory is an opportunity for all Americans
15 hrs ago Star ParkerAmerican politics failed, but the American people won’t
17 hrs ago Dr. Rashad RicheyWhy Democrats have soured on mail-in voting
Yesterday Timothy CarneyAmericans have tough work ahead if they want to remain free
Yesterday Jordan Reid