Blog post #1

Before entering the Decoding AI, Automating Societies studio, my knowledge of AI was (and as I’m still learning, still is) limited. I’ve heard of and used programs like ChatGTP, and seen the new AI functions of social media platforms, like Meta AI on Instagram and Facebook, and My AI on Snapchat. I haven’t really used them that seriously, mostly as a joke to see what will happen. Even though AI has developed so much in the last few years and is now integrated as part of our everyday lives, on our phones, computers, and other technologies, I still tend to associate the idea of artificial intelligence with robots and machinery. As we’ve discussed in the first two classes, this may be due to the media portrayal of AI over many decades. Many films tend to portray the idea of artificial intelligence as a war, humans against the evil robots who want to control the world. Examples include The Terminator and Blade Runner. Or contrastingly, they also can depict friendly robots who help the humans, like WALL-E. Either way, films such as these have ingrained in me to associate AI with machinery and robotics, whereas now days it is more relevant in the form of algorithms and automated decision-making. I hadn’t heard the term automated decision-making (ADM) before, though I had an understanding of what it means. ADM refers to software programs that “sift through massive amounts of data” and make decisions based on these (Sadowski, 2021). It can regard both serious and everyday things; for example, it can decide whether an insurance claim is accepted or rejected, or recommend new songs to you on Spotify based on your previous listening (Sadowski, 2021). Before this studio, I had a general idea of that ADM meant but am looking forward to dissecting it in more detail. I’m hoping to gain more knowledge about the actual workings of AI and ADM through this studio. I tend to be a bit ignorant about these topics; logically I know that AI and ADM have a significant impact on my life, but I’ve never really questioned it before. I am hoping to learn more about these topics so I can learn to question these programs and understand the positives and negatives. I feel as though the workings of AI and ADM are very secretive; even though they have access to personal information and knowledge about us, the functioning of these programs are invisible to the public (known as black boxes). Hopefully with more knowledge and education about AI, we can use it to help improve society instead of perpetuating the ‘humans against robots’ narrative because people don’t know what’s going on.

Sadowski J (30 November 2021) ‘Artificial intelligence has probably already made decisions about you. Here’s why that matters’, ABC News, accessed 6 July 2023. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-30/why-you-should-care-about-artificial-intelligence/100591684