Tech leaders and students share their mixed views on the future of AI and its impact on daily life and society at large.
San Francisco: The future always feels a bit uncertain. Right now, big changes are happening in politics, technology, culture, and science. It’s hard to know exactly what’s next.
we love exploring what’s coming up. We do this by sharing well-researched stories, videos, and interviews with people who shape the future. Recently, we talked to many important figures and students at our Big Interview event in San Francisco. We focused mainly on artificial intelligence (AI), but also touched on culture, tech, and politics.
AI Everywhere, All the Time
AI is already a big part of people’s daily lives, just like search engines have been for a long time. “I use a lot of LLMs to answer questions during the day,” said Angel Tramontin, a student at UC Berkeley.
Many people we spoke to had used AI within the last few hours or even minutes. For instance, Daniela Amodei from Anthropic talked about using her company’s chatbot to help with her children. “Claude helped me potty-train my older son,” she explained. “I even used Claude to search for symptoms for my daughter.”
Director Jon M. Chu also admitted to asking AI for advice about his kids’ health. “It’s a good starting point,” he said, even if it’s not the best source.
AI companies see health care as an area for growth. OpenAI recently shared that “hundreds of millions” of people use ChatGPT Health for health questions each week. This newer version focuses on privacy. Anthropic has a similar service targeted at hospitals.
Not everyone agrees with relying on AI. UC Berkeley student Sienna Villalobos said, “I try not to use it. AI shouldn’t decide for you; you should make your own choices.”
However, many teens in the US use chatbots, with nearly two-thirds reported in a recent study. About 30% use them every day, often without even realizing it.
Ready to Launch?
The speed of AI development is fast, but there are worries about how it affects mental health and society. With few rules in place, companies often check themselves. What should AI companies think about before launching a new product?
“What might go wrong?” is an important question, says Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt. He wishes more companies would consider it.