Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop!

Do you suffer from Automation anxiety? (the fear that advancements in technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, will lead to widespread job losses, rendering people’s skills obsolete and potentially leaving them unemployed, causing significant worry and stress about the future of work.)

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This one is a tough debate with much nuance to it. I’ll start by stating emphatically that I very much do not support AI being trained on copyrighted works without the permission of the owner. We have spent hours creating our work, I did not do so for someone to take it, train AI on it and use it to create other things.

That being said – is it to be feared? I honestly don’t know. If I reduce this argument down, let’s look at the abacus. A fantastic tool for the purpose of simple maths. Then we got adding machines. These were replaced by electronic calculators. Now I’ve got a (not so) little device that sits in my pocket and can do a lot more than just simple maths. Each of these advancements saw the creators and makers of the old technology made redundant along with their devices.

What about cave paintings? Papyrus. Wax tablet. Paper. Word processors. Laptops. Smartphones. Technology evolves and shifts. Along with that, the requirement for people skilled in the use and production of the past tools left behind.

So how does this connect to AI? Ethical arguments aside, let’s consider the technology. At one time we looked things up in encyclopedias and reference books. Then we Googled (other search platforms are available) them. Now we see more and more that AI appears as an option for gaining info.

Like any other evolution or technology, AI is a tool. Should we fear it? Healthy caution is not a bad thing. CURRENTLY – I find the artwork, music and stories to be detectable. They all seem “off”. One thing that they all suffer is a lack of the human condition. So FOR NOW I don’t think we need to fear them, but the technology might evolve. I just don’t know.

But it can be useful. Sometimes, I use it to analyse my writing for feedback. Or inspiration when I get stuck. It can help me check if a word means what I think it does, without descending the rabbit hole of the internet for many hours. I know many would argue some of this impacts proofreaders and editors. I don’t think you can overlook the importance of a human looking at your work, but it can help.

I think we can embrace it as a useful tool to help us as creatives without leaning on it to do the leg work for me. I wouldn’t want that – I enjoy writing and creating. And similarly, I’d hate to read an AI story as it lacks soul. It is purely a revenue-generating commodity, not a true story. What I think is needed is strict regulation. Laws, protections and rights. Things that will help protect our work and give guidelines on how AI should work. Here in the UK, the law took a while to catch up to social media but it is getting there, so I expect AI to follow suit. Tech is moving faster than law now. We only have to look at the debates around whether forms of abuse or assault committed in VR settings can or should be treated as their real-world counterparts. Lawmakers will certainly have a busy time as tech continues to evolve.

As for the fear of AI taking over our jobs, this might sound blunt. Adapt and evolve, or fall behind. Industrialisation started a process that we are now talking about in the context of AI. Technology has, for centuries, come along with the ability to output the work of multiple people without the salary cost, need for breaks or time off. It has happened and will continue to happen no matter the tech. I think we need to accept this now and learn how we can embrace these new technologies to protect our livelihoods.