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Professor Carswell

IS 365

Module 6 Writing Assignment

Artificial intelligence has become a popular subject of debate in the technical community

as of late, especially in regards to the creation of a machine intelligence capable of matching or

even surpassing human intelligence. The subject is popular in science fiction as well, with many

movies warning of the dangers of machine intelligence when it grows too great—I, Robot,

Terminator and Avengers: Age of Ultron to name only a few. But, is machine intelligence in the

real world truly so dangerous? Is it possible for the dangers touted in these cautionary tales to

truly become reality?

The answer is, in short, yes: artificial intelligence can pose a threat to humankind if it

passes a substantial threshold. However, this issue, like all things, is much more complicated

than just a plain yes. While it is possible for artificial intelligence to grow to become a

substantial threat in a “take-over-the-world” sort of way, this is probably far out of humanity’s

current technological reach and is certainly not an immediate threat. Recent mishaps prove that

human-like intelligence is still quite a distance away from us, like Microsoft’s attempt to create

an AI chat bot named Tay that learned based on Twitter interactions with real people; within

only a day of interaction, Tay’s AI devolved into Hitler-loving nymphomaniac and had to be

taken down with the company’s apologies (Horton, 2016). Instead, the greater threat to

humankind via artificial intelligence is actually something called “hollowing of the workforce”,

where human tasks are replaced by machine laborers (Grier, 2015).

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One of the biggest reasons why artificial intelligence reaching an I, Robot-esque self-

awareness is less of a threat, aside from obvious technical limitations, is that AI self-awareness is

the explicit goal of only a minority of AI researchers. There is not just one school of thought in

AI development; in fact, there are four (Grier, 2015):

• Classical artificial intelligence, where the goal is to build computers that imitate

and replicate human behavior

• Human-computer interaction, where the goal is similar to but more modest than

classical AI research, leading to innovations like Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)

and algorithms for improving computer-user interaction

• Machine learning, where a focus on pattern and object recognition is meant to

improve a machine’s ability to gather and refine information

• Collective intelligence, which seeks to pull together the intelligence and

experience of multiple units—human or machine—to create a sort of super-

intelligence unit just as a group of bees might form a superorganism

As one can see, there are actually several schools of thought related to the field of

artificial intelligence, and each has different goals. Only one among them—classical artificial

intelligence—seeks to create something like a human intelligence, and it has been, thus far,

largely unsuccessful. But still, all schools of thought seek to enhance the abilities of machines to

perform complex tasks, and these enhancements have led to a number of innovations, especially

in regards to user interface.

By all means, there is good to be had in artificial intelligence and the innovation that its

research might bring, and the likelihood of a robot uprising is not yet a realistic threat to keep

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humanity up at night. However, as aforementioned, there is a much more sinister and subtler

threat brought about by the progressive rise of machine intelligence called the hollowing of the

workforce. It is something that is already happening right now in the workforce on a daily basis,

and with time, it could become a serious and major threat to employment rates and to human

self-sustainability.

But what is hollowing of the workforce? Simply put, it is the inevitability that follows as

machine intelligence grows: machines begin to take human jobs en masse until unemployment

and poverty become serious issues (Grier, 2015). As many as 77% of jobs in China are

vulnerable to robot or AI replacement, and in the US banking industry alone, 40% of jobs are

vulnerable to loss (Rao, 2016). The manufacturing industry, where robots are populating

conveyor belts, has seen employment fall by 40% since 1960, particularly during recessions—

that is six million jobs (Thompson, 2016). Industries appear particularly vulnerable to hollowing

during recessions when employers might seek to cut costs, and as machines become inevitably

more and more intelligent, so will their benefits over human labor (Thompson, 2016).

Technology is replacing jobs, and as it stands now, it is already happening. People are

laid off every day and replaced by machines, who can do many jobs better, faster, without any

complaints and without the need to pay. People often speak of their concern about immigrants

coming in and taking jobs, working for lesser pay, and regardless of how one feels on that issue,

there is a definite fear of something foreign coming in and taking jobs and resources from the

native population. Machine intelligence can and will represent this fear tenfold, if not carefully

monitored and developed with moderation in the future. Perhaps worst of all, this threat is

subtle—difficult to see from a distance. Everyone wants to talk about how machines might one

day gain the intelligence to take over mankind in a doomsday scenario, but that is not the real

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threat. The real threat is already here—in our factories and in our homes—and its soft first

touches in the industry have already begun to have an effect.

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References

Grier, D. A. (2015). Debating artificial intelligence. Retrieved from Computer.org:

https://www.computer.org/web/closer-than-you-might-think/debating-artificial-

intelligence

Horton, H. (2016, March 24). Microsoft deletes 'teen girl' AI after it became a Hitler-loving sex

robot within 24 hours. Retrieved from Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/03/24/microsofts-teen-girl-ai-turns-into-a-

hitler-loving-sex-robot-wit/

Rao, L. (2016, October 17). Here’s how artificial intelligence is going to replace middle class

jobs. Retrieved from Fortune.com: http://fortune.com/2016/10/17/human-workforce-ai/

Thompson, D. (2016, October 31). When will robots take all the jobs? Retrieved from The

Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/10/the-robot-

paradox/505973/

IS-365

Dr. Alan Carswell

Persuasive Arguments – Internet Privacy

In the Digital Age, the privacy of the individual has never been more compromised –

from Government agencies watching activity on the World Wide Web to companies firing

employees for “unacceptable behavior,” it’s no secret that the privacy in the Digital Age is a

topic of large debate and importance. One need only look to journals, media, and other news

outlets to find seemingly endless debates on a plethora of subjects. From minor concerns like

websites tracking your basic information via cookies, and major areas of debate such as

government officials’ use of email servers and the notorious Edward Snowden leaks several

years ago. However, perhaps the most interesting and somewhat common “breach” of privacy

is found in the relationship between the company and individual.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY & BUSINESSES

On the Internet, one frequently hears stories of an employee being fired or not

accepted within a company over his or her actions on Social Media. These debates always raise

the question: how much personal information should companies observe? Where is the line

between protecting company reputation and being intrusive in the employees’ lives? While all

cases are not clear, some clearly are – for instance, when five hospital employees were fired

(and a sixth underwent disciplinary action) for discussing patients’ conditions on Facebook.

(Anderson, 2010) This is a clear-cut case – HIPAA privacy rules demand that the personal

information of patients may not be disclosed without their explicit permission. (Anderson,

2010) Other instances, are not so explicit – when there is no regulation preventing you from

posting what you want on Social Media (i.e when you’re merely posting about your life), when

is it considered “acceptable” for a company to fire you?

ORGANIZATION VALUES, OR INTRUSION?

In a typical instance of one of these scenarios, Daily Mail reports on Ashley Payne – a 24-

year-old High School Teacher who, while travelling Europe, posted a picture of herself with

wine glass and beer in hand. (Mail, 2011) Following a complaint from a parent, Ms. Payne was

offered two options in an ultimatum: “resign or be suspended.” (Mail, 2011) This is a case

where I believe that organizations and companies are too intrusive. Ms. Payne did not commit

any actions that were in direct violation with the school, or even spoke negatively of it.

Consider the following questions – did her actions:

• Violate Regulations?

• Expose Private Information?

• Present the school in a bad light?

• Condone violent or hateful behavior?

• Mock or humiliate any person or entity?

I believe the answer to all of these questions is “no” – and while an argument can be made that

encouraging alcohol may not be something the school wishes to promote, the individual in

person did not do it within the premise of the property or while on duty as a teacher. Thus, this

action is completely private, and is a personal, legal decision. Cases like this, I argue, are too

intrusive. While I believe that a company should reserve the right to hire and fire whomever it

wishes, I also believe it should make these decisions based on that person’s actions regarding

the company. For example, as long as the individual’s actions are not while on duty or directly

referring to the organization, that organization should respect the privacy of an individual.

VALID OBSERVATION

There are reasonable reasons to observe Social Media – such as watching employees

that must not disclose information as in the HIPAA case – but in many cases, like the

aforementioned, this action is intrusive. Another case that I’ve personally heard from

professors is as follows: During a job interview, the interviewers requested for to the person’s

smartphone and social media for several minutes – as though this information is truly relevant

to the individual’s performance within the company. They wished to browse through the

individual’s Twitter and Facebook accounts before making a decision on whether they would

hire. Some may argue that it is necessary to judge a person’s character in order to uphold

company values, but this behavior from companies is extremely intrusive and disrespects

individuals’ privacy in the name of the company. That being said, there are some cases where

constant observation of employees is necessary:

• Very high-up positions (Who may represent company values)

• Positions in which individuals work with classified information (Government)

• Positions such as nurses who are subject to regulations regarding sensitive information

These positions require the integrity of the individual to be very strong so as not to give out

sensitive information or tarnish an organization’s reputation. Thus, an argument can be made

that such positions do require some observation.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Think of it this way – were you to be hired, imagine that the company you’ve applied for

searches through your entire life’s actions. Nothing is hidden, everything done and said among

friends, no matter whether reflective of your current beliefs and feelings, is seen and judged by

the company. All of this is done to ensure you’re “suitable” for the company and will likely

follow their rules. This is what company’s demanding access to see or follow your social media

accounts is akin to. Intruding one’s private space among friends and others to constantly

observe the employee. While it’s not quite 1984, this small trend in businesses is troubling, and

I believe violates basic rights to privacy.

While there are many other types of important security and privacy issues, through

cyberattacks, leaks, and the coming Internet of Things data, how companies interact with

individuals on social media will ever be a subject of discussion. (Gorodyansky, n.d.) These other

topics are indeed important, but the face of how companies observe employee’s private lives

may be a stage set today, during the birth and explosion of social media. As such, all must

carefully consider all aspects of what should and should not be visible to a company – what’s

private information, and what is done to “protect company integrity.”

Bibliography Anderson, H. (2010, June 8). 5 To Be Fired For Social Media Use. Retrieved from govinfosecurity:

http://www.govinfosecurity.com/5-to-be-fired-for-social-media-use-a-2622

Gorodyansky, D. (n.d.). Privacy and Security in the Internet Age. Retrieved from Wired: https://www.wired.com/insights/2015/01/privacy-and-security-in-the-internet-age/

Mail, D. (2011, February 7). Teacher sacked posting picture holding wine and mug of beer on Facebook. Retrieved from dailymail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1354515/Teacher-sacked- posting-picture-holding-glass-wine-mug-beer-Facebook.html

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