Artificial Intelligence: Another critical issue of our time

At the time of writing, it is the Labour Day holiday here in Jamaica.  This is also coinciding with the US’s Memorial Day, which officially honours those in that country’s military who died in their various wars, including that currently in Iran. From the look of it, the US, with its military, could be intending to cause more instability and death in this region. 

The day also coincided with the official launch of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, a papal letter, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI). The advance of technology, especially since COVID-19, is far-reaching, impacting workers, production, trade, the military, and war. It raises moral and ethical concerns.

TECHNOLOGY’S RAPID OBSOLESCENCE

The first moral issue is waste. It is difficult to keep up with the technological advances of the last 25 years. It seems every year something changes. For many of us, our homes are full of obsolete equipment, computers that no longer use the floppy disc, compact disc, and thumb drive. The floppy disc device, bought to attach to the new computer, is useless, along with the discs et al. The computers operating systems have changed several times. They are now up to Windows 11. We have the outdated analog/digital television, the VHS and compact disc players, and the stereo equipment and manual photography cameras, then big financial investments, all now obsolete.  Several new models of cell/mobile phones have been issued. Network frequencies have changed. In fact, by the time one buys a computer or phone, it is depreciating in value as you exit the store. 

Everything is now online (Internet-based) and almost everybody is shopping online. It can be very annoying for many of us on the senior side trying to use these new devices and having to remember all the different passwords. Everything is now linked to the Internet — computer, phone, television, credit/debit cards, and, if it goes down or there is a power cut, or a natural disaster, it is total shutdown. Nothing works. Added to this are the frequency of online fraud and cyberattacks. So, we are at the mercy of technology, and more is coming.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial Intelligence is defined as “technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human learning, comprehension, problem solving, decision-making, creativity, and autonomy”. Properly programmed, AI devices and equipment  can identify objects, respond to human instructions, assess and compile information, and thus can compile reports and papers, and give recommendations. Your car is highly computerised and can give warnings and, in some cases, can even be put into automatic drive. Now, there is the advance into generative AI that can create original text, images, video, and other types of content.

There are also advances in robotics. So, there are machines which can carry out various functions normally done by people. There are automated devices, such as drones and more humanoid robots. This column, on March 18, looked at the trade in arms and the innovations in automated weaponry.

So, when we were watching Star Trek and Star Trek Next Generation, who would have believed then that the second officer and chief of operations, named ‘Data’, anatomically a fully functional male android, could likely become reality in our time! In Star Wars, that the droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, could also become reality!

AUTOMATION AND JOBS

It is said that since 2000, nearly two million manufacturing jobs have been lost worldwide to automation. From (DEL/ ACCORDING TO) the World Economic Forum, it is estimated that millions more jobs could be lost to automation by 2030. The jobs most at risk are those at the lower levels, like clerical and customer service positions, mainly held by women and unskilled workers. The International Labour Organizations, examining the future of work, is of the view that jobs at the higher levels could be enhanced by AI.

The concern about AI must be in developing countries, where it already costs a lot to keep up with the innovations and where many people are employed in low-level jobs. Technological advances are centred in the USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan. These countries have the money to focus on research and development. From(DEL / AS FOR) immigration, regardless of the negative views, developed countries still benefit from attracting the brightest and best from developing countries.

MULTILATERAL RESPONSE TO AI

AI is new and developing fast. It is currently unregulated and already presents great risk. One such area is the dissemination of false information to a very susceptible audience.

The UN is establishing a high-level advisory body on AI to undertake analysis and advance recommendations for AI’s international governance. At the national level, especially in the European Union, China, and South Korea, countries have begun to adopt legislation on AI to address its risks and challenges. In the US, legislation has been proposed at the state and federal levels, but there has been a setback under this Trump administration.

The WTO’s World Trade Report 2025. ‘Making trade and AI work together to the benefit of all’, looks at the impact of AI on international trade. It notes that AI could enhance trade, increasing the potential for growth. The WTO, however, is concerned about unequal access/benefits across the globe due to inequalities in digital infrastructure, skills and capabilities, and the impact on the labour market.

POPE LEO XIV

Through Pope Leo XIV and his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (‘Magnificent Humanity’) on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence, formally launched on Monday, the Roman Catholic Church has joined this discussion, as it did on climate change under Pope Francis. The Pope reminds all those involved that the human being, made in the image and likeness of God, cannot be subjugated to AI. The human person takes precedence. AI is to be used for the good of mankind as a total body, and not for the benefit and enrichment of the few.

The discussion on AI is another issue, like climate change, in which we should all be engaged at the community, national, regional, and international levels. These issues, to be effective, need to be fully ventilated at the global level, where agreements can be negotiated and adopted.

Elizabeth Morgan is a specialist in international trade policy and international politics. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com