If you’ve been on the internet for at least five minutes in recent months, you’ve probably heard something about AI. Maybe you’ve heard of a website called ChatGPT, or you’ve seen those Tiktok filters that create brand new paintings from pictures. I feel like AI has been all the rage on social media. It’s used for so much now, like writing, homework, artwork, music, etc.

The company that runs ChatGPT, OpenAI, is probably one of the more well-known AI companies. They use a type of technology called ‘Generative AI’, which is used for apps like ChatGPT and Dall-E. It’s probably the type of AI you’re most familiar with. So, how does it work?

Generative AI learns from past data, and it puts together all of this information to come out with something completely new. It can craft anything from poetry, images, stories, music, and so much more. It can even write emails, and can probably do things that we could never even imagine.

However, some people have expressed major concern about this. If anyone had access to AI, that would make it so much easier for people, or even governments to create and spread false information that looks completely true. This could potentially lead to unnecessary wars, international conflict, and perpetuate hatred for foreign countries.

But there’s another concern that’s been popping up, especially with artists, and not just painters, but writers, actors, musical artists, etc. People have begun using AI to write stories and to create art of all types, which although it seems minor, if AI was used to make art in just a blink of an eye, would we even need artists? And that has made people wonder if AI is going to our jobs? Soon, will we come to the place where AI will replace the average working-class person?

These are just a few examples of the concerns people have. I think, with things like these, it’s better to err on the side of caution. Although AI can do plenty of good things, in the wrong hands it could be incredibly dangerous, and possibly lead to many people getting harmed.

For now, I think we should put a pause on AI, and stop developing it as much as we are. And instead, we should focus on putting limits on who can use AI, and what AI can achieve. Petitioning or protesting on laws around artificial intelligence would be one thing that you could do to help. You should also support actual artists, and people whose jobs could be on the line due to AI.