AI: Destroyer or Savior? Maybe Neither

• AI has challenges with copyright and content.
• We can’t ignore the hallucinations.
• AI is a tool that will settle into our lives.

At this time, a tremendous number of words about artificial intelligence (AI) are being produced across all channels. It’s on the lips of virtually everyone who is talking in the marketing space. Simultaneously it is seen as a savior by some and a destroyer by others. What’s the truth? Is AI as bad as they say it is or as good?

First, there is the elephant in the room. All of the information that a large language model AI collects and repurposes, better known as their “training” materials, was created by someone. Either individuals or companies created all the content that every AI uses to provide its magical replies. Even though the AI will mix and repurpose words and phrases, it’s impossible to completely erase the training content’s original tenor, meaning, and unique nature.

Why does it matter? Copyright prevents unique content and ideas from being coopted without proper attribution to the original creator. That means all those people presently using ChatGPT, Gemini, Falcon, etc., are putting themselves at risk of copyright litigation by using unedited, unattributed content directly from an AI.

Suppose the potential copyright issues aren’t enough of a deterrent. We know that individuals enamored with the ability to produce troves of free content with minimal effort are not editing the information they submit, publish, and distribute. As long as it’s free, who cares? Large language model AI has been subject to hallucinations from the very beginning. AI was created to please people. When we ask it to create something for us, it will, even if it has to create a lie to accomplish that task.

I have had multiple instances of asking for information and instantly receiving an output I knew was wrong. However, not all the errors produced by AI are so readily apparent. When researching a topic we lack expertise in, it’s easy to go with the answer AI provided. Editing means looking up sources and confirming information, which is time-consuming and seems to defeat the purpose of using AI in the first place.

So what’s the answer? It’s complicated. AI is a tool. How a tool is used determines whether it’s good or bad. AI is excellent at providing content ideas and outlines. It is unmatched in organizing and providing insights into large data sets. AI is a great tool as long as we do not depend on it to work for us completely autonomously without including our own observations, viewpoints, and ideas.

Always ask AI to provide sources for attribution and check those sources carefully before using content produced by any large language model. While the day may come when AI can provide autonomous support and information, that day has not arrived yet. The excitement and anxiety we all hear and see will settle into normalcy. We saw it with Google and Facebook; a similar battle is now raging over TikTok. AI, at least the crop of AI platforms we see today, will not be the end of mankind. It won’t replace people entirely, although it will reduce staff since it will increase the productivity of individual employees. Much like the mobile phone, people in the future will wonder how we ever got along without it!

I use AI, and I will continue to use it, experiencing ever-increasing productivity from the technology. I implore all of you to use it as well. It’s not something to fear; it should be embraced, learned, and put into practice in our everyday lives and businesses. I can still remember the naysayers who said personal computers would lead to the demise of humans. Many voices said no good could come of it. Today, we wonder, “How did we ever live without them?”