Irish Examiner view: Artificial intelligence could have powerful effects for good or ill
British prime minister Keir Starmer resolved to adopt AI across all sectors in order to revitalise the public service, the NHS, the economy, and everyday life. Picture: Henry Nicholls/PA Wire
Amongst the things humans fear most are change and the unknown, and in the case of artificial intelligence (AI), both of these fears resonate strongly.
Never in the field of human endeavour have we come up with something so powerful and so likely to exacerbate change in millions of ways — known and unknown — as AI.
As such, its adoption and development in almost every field of endeavour has created a fear of the radical ways in which this technology can potentially take over our lives and possibly even pose a threat to humanity.
Yesterday’s highlighted how students today using certain messaging apps have access to a ‘homework genie’ powered by AI, which allows them complete assignments in seconds but provides little by way of actual education.
The availability of this technology presents many challenges to educators. The Department of Education has announced it is developing guidance on the use of AI in teaching which will be circulated by March, and will allow schools and teachers navigate the challenges and opportunities AI brings.
But yesterday also illustrated the importance of swift adoption to and embracing of AI, as British prime minister Keir Starmer resolved to adopt AI across all sectors in order to revitalise the public service, the NHS, the economy, and everyday life.
His insistence is that it is no longer a question of ‘when or if’ with AI because the technology is here, and its potential needs to be mined quickly if the British economy is to make best use of it for the betterment of the lives of its citizens.
Starmer predicted the generation of £40bn a year in productivity gains and savings, while delivering services better, faster, and further. He also promised ‘absolutely’ to make the technology safe.
There is no doubt that humankind is set to see a technological revolution as influential and far-reaching as the industrial revolution was in times past.
Many here, not least those in power along with vested interests in the tech sector, as well as workers in every sphere of the economy, will want to know how AI will impinge on them and how jobs will be affected.
They will also want to know how the critical issue of properly educating our younger generations with the assistance of AI will impact on the learning process and, thus, the future wellbeing of our nation and its economy.
The annual statistics relating to the numbers killed on Irish roads were revealed recently and made for chilling reading, with 174 people having lost their lives during 2024. However, even more worrying research from the Road Safety Authority (RSA) highlighted the numbers of people left with life-changing injuries as a result of accidents.
That research showed that for every single person who lost their lives on Irish roads, at least 10 others were left with serious injuries and the RSA estimates that figure to be ‘conservative’ due to under-reporting.
That means, roughly speaking, that some 1,740 children, young people, and adults were left with serious and/or life-changing injuries here as a result of road accidents in the last 12 months.
Up-to-date data in this area is not yet available, but the figures from 2022 show that 2,344 people were hospitalised that year resulting from road accidents. The raw numbers are one thing, but we have no idea why these accidents are occurring.
RSA research points to our town and cities, and the management of traffic in them, as a primary source of concern. The simple act of walking — particularly for those under 14 and over 65 — is becoming increasingly dangerous.
Official data shows that 89% of pedestrians are injured on urban roads with 76% of these by car drivers and 7% by people driving light trucks, vans, and pick-ups. Causes are predictable: Excessive speed, inattention, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Our increasing love affair with large SUVs and pick-ups is also a factor. There is a 200% increased risk of dying if hit by one rather than a car, with walkers and cyclists the most vulnerable. Even car occupants are 50% more likely to die as a result of such a collision.
To effect change in an area that needs attention quickly — even in the absence of up-to-the-minute data — police and politicians have a role to play in evolving behavioural change impacting on all road users and creating a new normal.
The stark figures are not enough and while we know that we have issues with our approach to road safety, and we also know that change will not occur overnight, the nettle is there to be grasped.
Whatever havoc US president-elect Donald Trump will begin wreaking domestically and internationally when he takes office in under a week’s time, he may well face immediate difficulty trying to control internecine warfare within his own Maga contingent.
The infighting began last Sunday when former Trump advisor Steve Bannon described current Trump favourite Elon Musk as “racist” and “a truly evil guy” who he vowed to “take down". Interviewed in an Italian newspaper, Bannon suggested that he would have Musk “run out of here” by inauguration day, which occurs in six days.
His timeline might be a touch optimistic given that Trump’s benevolence and gratitude are shining brightly on the billionaire tech magnate right now, but the very fact that cracks are appearing in what was until recently a steadfast political movement does not bode well.
That it is happening when the US president-elect is not yet even in office is worrisome. What will happen when he is handed the keys to the kingdom is truly alarming.
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