On the 6th of May, eight Wilderness students from years nine, eleven and twelve attended a CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia) lunch to learn about, ‘Artificial Intelligence and Ethics: the future of work’.
We listened to the expertise of Osmond Chiu, a Senior Policy Officer at the Community and Public Sector Union, and Dr. Jim Minifie, Principal and Melbourne off Leader of AlphaBeta, an economics and strategy company. The session was introduced by Microsoft’s National Skills Program Lead, Beth Worrall and chaired by Dr. Eva Balan-Vnuk.
The luncheon started out with the speakers talking about their respective topics. These topics were further explored in the discussion, which took place after the food was served. On the topic of ethics and AI, certain questions were raised about the development of the legal guidelines which must be followed throughout the process. On this topic, a conclusive framework, which is agreed by all on the matter, cannot be reached due to the differing perspectives and lack of common ground among global corporates and governments.
The idea of AI helping with environmental and humanitarian issues was entertained, however, were not delved into due to the lack of time available. Other than that, the discussion also revolved around the possibility of jobs, especially manual labour, being displaced due to AI development. For instance, the use of automated logistics in retail giants would result in manual labour being deemed unnecessary. Certain sources estimate that roughly 40% of jobs in Australia would be displaced, however, it is widely believed that only 9% would be displaced as other jobs in the IT industry would open up. It is likely that these jobs would be complimentary to the future of computing, which would require expert skillset and critical capabilities.
The panel discussion revolved around the topics mentioned and were further supported by the questions of other participants of the luncheon. Students impressed the speakers with the depth of their questions. Katniss Zhang asked the panel, ‘If the saturation of AI would widen the gap between the developed and developing world’. Thanh Nguyen enquired as to how we were preparing for the ethics and legal implications of social participation programs, such as that in China.
Thanh Nguyen
Life in the Wilderness ISSU Article
