COLUMN: Artificial Intelligence can’t be the friendly face when you need answers

If I ask a group of readers if they know what a computer is, they will say yes, of course.

But what if I ask, do you know what a computer was? You might be a bit more confused, and you may wonder if I am feeling very well today.

But did you know before screens ruled the world, a computer was a person or more specifically, a job.

I bring this up because AI is the current big bad. Is it going to take my job, my information and destroy the world? Probably not.

The Robot Takeover

According to a 2019 article in Smithsonian magazine, computers were specifically, women. A computer was a person who did scientific calculations by hand.In the 19th and early 20th century, there were little opportunities for women in science, and maths was considered “low status”. So they employed women.

But it wouldn’t be fair to say that the modern computer replaced a person. But rather just made their lives easier.

Though at the time, I imagine it must have felt like the end of the world to be replaced slowly at first, and then all at once, the job was gone.

We still have researchers and scientists, and even more now are women than ever before. They just don’t do calculations by hand anymore. They design studies, ask and answer questions and form expert opinions, that in turn, inform policy.

They get on with the all-important task of finding stuff out. That is the role of AI. And this brings me to the future of media. Or at least as I see it.

COMMON GROUND

Because what scientists and journalists have in common is that we both generate new information.

The Washington Post tech reporter Taylor Lorenz addressed the question of whether she could be replaced with AI technology on TikTok recently.

She said no. AI can collate information, but it cannot generate new information. As Darren said in the column above, AI cannot compile notes or attend local government meetings, but they also can’t form relationships or submit an Freedom Of Information request.

AI cannot be a person. They can’t be the friendly face when you need answers, promotion or an investigator.

You can’t replace human connection. And that is part of what columnists do.

Their opinions speak to commonality, even when they are saying the quiet parts out loud. People love to read about people who have the same opinions as them.

And as anyone in the media knows, people even love to hate people who don’t share their views. So, I think journalists and columnists are safe.

At the end of the day, robots are handy, but do you care if they have an opinion?