A robot that looks like a human head designed by AMECA, interacts with visitors during the International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA in London, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

By Derek Craddock

AI AND YOU

What can AI mean for Sask. businesses and educators?

May 30, 2023 | 5:00 PM

The world of AI is nothing new, but recently it has drawn the attention of researchers and even those who helped advance the software of its risks.

Scientists and tech industry leaders, including high-level executives at Microsoft and Google, issued a new warning Tuesday about the perils that artificial intelligence poses to humankind.

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” the statement said.

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist known as the godfather of artificial intelligence, were among the hundreds of leading figures who signed the statement, which was posted on the Center for AI Safety’s website.

Worries about artificial intelligence systems outsmarting humans and running wild have intensified with the rise of a new generation of highly capable AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. It has sent countries around the world scrambling to come up with regulations for the developing technology, with the European Union blazing the trail with its AI Act expected to be approved later this year.

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So, what does all this mean for Saskatchewan?

To help answer this question, paNOW reached out to Sask Polytech and spoke with Terry Peckham, the Director and Research Chair for the Digital Integration Centre of Excellence or DICE.

Peckham said, without a doubt, that AI is changing the way everything is done and could provide great opportunities for Saskatchewan businesses.

“Sometimes it might be something such as speeding up a process for somebody, or maybe automating a process that is currently a manual task which saves money,” he said. “Saving money is gonna be one of the more important things to do. So, if we can do it faster with AI and cheaper with AI, that will probably make a difference to a company’s bottom line.”

Peckham said that AI is not new, but even in the days when the calculator was introduced, there was great hesitancy. Since then, things like spellcheck and Siri have made everyday tasks a little easier.

Meanwhile, a survey from Environics Research last month found that 72 per cent of Canadians polled are comfortable with companies using AI if it means they’ll get better service. However, 68 per cent said they don’t understand the technology enough to know the risks.

As for the education side of things, programs like ChatGPT have given way for essays and projects to be written without the need for pen and paper or even research. That has worried many educators, including Peckham who said students need to learn how to responsibly use these tools.

“There are techniques that you can go through and force the students to go through where ChatGPT, even though will give you an answer, you can catch that and make sure the students don’t make use of that tool inappropriately,” he said. “But it does require planning on the part of the teacher and changes in their strategies.”

Peckham added these AI tools are forcing teachers to adapt as programs like this are being used in the marketplace, so students need to be aware.

As for the concerns about the dangers of AI and whether it will get out of control, Peckham said the technology needs to be regulated, which is proving to be a challenge for many governments.

“I would like to say it’s a good challenge, but it’s still going to be a challenge,” he said. “There are going to be these things that we’re going to have to learn to deal with and pivot as a society.”

In June 2022, the federal government tabled the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) as part of Bill C-27, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2022.

That bill passed second reading last month and is currently in the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology.

-With files from The Associated Press

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow