Conversation with Sai.
Me: Hi, you look worried?
Sai: Yes. Worried about the future of our jobs? Technology can replace our jobs.
Me: I think we always get worried by new technologies. Once cars were invented, everyone was worried that horse cart owners would lose their jobs. But on a lighter note, I think, only horses lost their jobs.
Technology has always helped us.
S: Like?
M: If we go back, whether it was the discovery of the wheel or printing press, all these helped us.
S: OK.
M: Even cars, aero planes, phone, TV…all these contributed to connecting with others. All these expanded human imaginations.
Cars, Aero planes help us to travel to far off places.
Electricity helped us to work late in the day & therefore aided in increasing the productive hours available to us in one day.
Phone helped us to connect with people across the seas. This again has helped humans in taking jobs in places which are far off from their native place.
Radio, TV assisted us in transferring information at a fast pace to the other side of the globe.
Computers are helping us to take up & do work which was impossible to get completed with mere human support.
Be it data collection, data analytics for a large population or for that matter doing Interest Calculation for all the customers of a bank or streamlining supply chain management.
Sai: But AI (Artificial Intelligence) is different.
M: Actually, I believe, we should think of AI as our IA (Intelligent Assistant).
S: Explain more in detail.
Me: Frankly, even after so much technological advancement, we still have big gaps between the ‘Haves’ and ‘Have Nots’.
In most of the cases, Information Asymmetry has caused a big divide between ‘Haves’ & Have Nots’.
S: Information or knowledge…
Me: At the moment, I will say information asymmetry. I am not even talking of cases, where a person, who has put a lot of effort in learning new things or gained knowledge by going through various books.
I am talking of the cases, where information about something was just not available or very hard to find. That asymmetry also has caused a big divide.
Information asymmetry can result in:-
- Usage of Product: When a person is not aware of various Products. It can be an investment Product or Health Product.
- Opportunity: If a person is not aware of various opportunities like a job opportunity, or better price about a farm produce or Health service.
- Government Schemes: When a group of people are not aware of various government schemes, which are available to them but due to lack of information, they are not availing those.
- Discovery: If you are a good plumber or carpenter but no one knows about you. So, your skills are not getting utilized by society, who need these functions.
S: So, how can technology help here?
M: Today, many of us are talking about ChatGPT.
So, ChatGPT can help students in understanding & solving various problems related to their curriculum.
Remember AI is also helping us in creating tools which can translate from one language to another.
Think of scenarios, where ChatGPT can help farmers in remote villages by telling them various government schemes available to them and how they can avail those.
Similarly, it can help in the health sector by telling a patient about his condition. It can even help doctors in this city by telling them what best is available to that patient ( as per his unique condition).
Sai : Understand. But as such, this was already available through the Internet.
M: Remember, many times, our WHAT has remained the same but HOW is different.
These Chatbots are making sure that information is available to a person, whenever he needs, at whatever place or time he needs.
Technology can help in making sure that the required help is available in the context of an individual.
In my opinion, a good society is where every member of the society has equal information, equal opportunity & equal resources to take action.
Now, after that whether action is taken or not is dependent on that person.
But first, we need to make sure that every person has equal choices.
And we are still far away from reaching that stage. We still have a lot of work to do, which humans can only do.
Only humans can think of, how to properly use ChatGPT and identify the right set of questions and problems. Remember, ChatGPT can provide answers, but humans need to ask the right set of questions or identify the right set of problems.
That’s the reason, I believe that these technological advances are providing us with more options to create a level playing field.
