AI is already changing our lives — even if you’ve never noticed, it’s evolving in businesses and in our homes.The bot that doesn’t help has become a familiar frustration, from banks to GP surgeries to customer service lines. This summer we have even lost the line judges at Wimbledon, only to see the disaster of someone forgetting to switch the AI on.
But perhaps the worst stories I hear are those involving local doctors’ surgeries. People triaged incorrectly, based on a small handful of keywords. Medical diagnoses mix-ups; consider, for example, the potential consequences of the skin infection cellulitis morphing in the system into celiac disease. Panic and patient suffering.
AI is everywhere, and to protect ourselves, we need to know what it is, what it does, and where.
What is AI really?
AI systems are still in early development. In the same way books create a library, data creates an AI system. The library then needs to catalogue all the information. In AI, that means using AI systems to perform specific tasks based on the data it has collected. Immediately, it becomes clear why high-quality data is now at such a premium. The more the machines know about us, the better they can carry out tasks.
These tasks currently cover fairly narrow parameters: language translation, facial recognition, turning spoken words into written, and, of course, supplying us with information on easy-to-use search facilities like ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and Google’s Gemini. It can only operate within the boundaries given.
In theory, the next stage of AI (AGI) would see it being able to think like we do, have the same abilities in problem solving, reasoning and learning, and be situationally adaptable in the same way as humans. Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) is when AI surpasses the ability of humans. This, of course, is what has everyone worried, in terms of both ethics and safety.
It is trained to make decisions or predictions based on the data it has, and spot patterns. Highly useful, but still too often flawed.
Where AI already shapes our day
People talk of AI as if it is something in the future, something preventable. Often, they don’t realise the degree to which that horse has bolted. Virtually all of us are already reliant on AI in our everyday lives.
If you use a navigation app like Google Maps, have ever called an Uber, bought something recommended to you from the supermarket, or watched a recommended film on Netflix, AI has been working in the background to feed you the information it predicts you will need, shaping your everyday experiences.
In return, every time you interact, it collects a little bit more golden data.
Meanwhile, the infrastructures we rely on are increasingly relying on AI, from doctors’ surgeries to councils, to traffic lights. Everyone is leaping to buy in, because of the potential both in terms of improved services and cut costs. But is the AI ready yet?
The hidden risks of relying on AI
It is hard not to see the potential. Weather predictions that enable farmers to produce higher yields. Revamped hospital layouts that triple efficiency. Everyone saving time on tedious tasks and having more time to enjoy themselves.
The UK Government has certainly bought into the idea and is heavily relying on AI in its Plan for Change to turn the beleaguered NHS around. One example is AVT (ambient voice technology) speech tech that can be used in consultations to turn the words spoken into structured medical records and correspondence. Doctors can then listen and look you in the eye rather than sit head down scribbling notes. More patient time, less pen pushing sounds good.
Already, it has been paused due to mixed quality standards. Practices wanting to use AVT will now have to appoint a clinically-trained clinician to act as a Clinical Safety Officer, someone who truly understands the risks of tech in clinical care. Questions were raised about some of the packages, including Heidi Health, reportedly used by one in two UK GPs and 15 UK Trusts. Heidi Health insists its system is compliant.
AI is only as accurate as the data it is fed. There is colossal money involved in its potential. Small wonder there are constant ethical concerns. Those who own the data will have not only disproportionate wealth but disproportionate power over the rest of us. As they increasingly influence our subconscious behaviour, it leads us into dangerous territory. Add to that the potential of some psychopathic tech billionaire from a James Bond nightmare utilizing his power to press select on the human groups he decides are worth saving, it is small wonder people are worried.
Even now, critical services may grab a lifeline that is underdeveloped and likely to be faulty. The less aware we are, the less tech-savvy, the more we are at risk.
How to stay informed – and in charge
AI becomes a risk when rushed or left in the wrong hands, but its potential to do good remains.
Because it is still in the development stages, every one of us has the ability to influence these outcomes. The more aware we are, the more we can recognise it. The more we use it, the bigger part we have in its development. On the most basic level, if we behave with kindness when dealing with AI, AI will factor that into its behaviour.
We must also challenge. Recognise when we’re in an automated system that is failing to meet our needs. Ask to speak to someone. Let the surgery, council, and local school know where the tech and AI are working – and where they are failing. We should push for human alternatives, clear accountability.
Understand that when you are talking to AI systems that they are a database, not a real person. They won’t react in the same way, they don’t have emotions like humans. And they will make mistakes. We should question what they tell us. That way, their data improves.
AI needs watching – and that’s on us all
You don’t have to become a tech expert, just develop as a curious citizen. AI isn’t bad, but it does need watching. That is where every single one of us comes in.
We’re all living with AI now. Understanding it and challenging it are the first steps to keeping it accountable.
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