Technology and the Risks of Novelty: A Case Study of AI

Disclaimer: This post is more of an opinion piece than a well-researched article

During the epoch and mass proliferation of microchip-based technologies, the idea of ‘novelty’ was mostly harmless and in many cases was a benefit to getting the public on board with whatever ground-breaking invention had just released. For example, the first Nokia phones, a relatively harmless, but incredibly useful piece of technology that people may have been sceptical about at first but quickly took to. The novelty of using a device to talk to someone from miles away from your pocket harkened back to the sci-fi of communication techniques used in Star Trek. However, with the advent of AI, we are quickly seeing a trend that suggests novelty as a danger rather than a somewhat humorous and beneficial by-product of a technology’s life cycle. People seem to believe AI to be a novel technology, asking ChatGPT inane questions and using it to make workplaces more efficient. On the other hand, others believe it to be an apocalyptic set of code that spells the end of humanity, or at least the harbinger of mass unemployment. In this post I will discuss how the novelisation of AI, in both extremes, is an inherent danger to the way the technology develops and how the average person interacts with it.

How Novelty Impacts User Perceptions

From conversations I have seen both online and in person, many people seem to believe AI to be a technology that is either ‘the trendy new topic’, a social faux pas to be uninformed on and welcoming of in some circles, to the point of singing its praises where praises are not to be sung, or conversely being completely cynical about the technology. One conversation I had recently was with a friend, a film maker, who had told me that at a film festival he went to, the hosts discussed AI as a ‘great force for democratising content’. This opinion, in my estimation, is borne from an understanding of AI as a novel concept rather than a powerful technology. Perhaps a more critical eye could identify the shortcomings of this opinion, as it is only democratised as far as the billionaire companies producing AI models are willing to let it bet. The average person would never have access to the amount of data required to create an LLM, let alone the manpower. Unlike the internet, where anyone can make a website. Novelty tends to lead to a surface level understanding of technology. The more novel something is, the more likely you are to do surface level research to have dining room table talk about it. There is nothing wrong with wanting to impress your friends. There is a problem when you talk to convention halls of people based on your own biases of a technology you do not know enough about.

The novelty of AI is making its way through every sector, bringing it into the hands of people who do not understand its implications. As E.M. Cioran stated in his book ‘A Short History of Decay’, “In every man sleeps a prophet, and when he wakes there is a little more evil in the world.” We live in an age of false prophets, especially in technology. In my opinion, the novelty of AI has a large part to play in this. By creating guru’s out of people with little real expertise, we muddy the waters of real education of this world altering technology. The same could be said for cynics, who would rather admonish this technology and bury their heads in the sand. Fortunately, or unfortunately, AI is entering our lives, and in my estimation, will become integral to the functioning of our future society. It is imperative that we as a species on the brink of a new era do not get blinded by novelty, and view AI as what its is. A world altering technology that no one fully understands the full implications of. We do not need more prophets, singing the praises of the omnipotent AI, or ringing bells of the apocalypse. We need more level-headed, educated opinions of real experts. And in turn, inform people of the real dangers and benefits of AI.