Optimism versus fear
Finding a balance between optimism and fear is key.
According to the World Economic Forum’s ‘Future of Jobs’ report, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. So, while AI may remove some jobs, it will undoubtedly create a lot more. It’s not about loss, it’s about change.
Therefore, the fear that AI will make all humans redundant is misplaced.
The future
As we move towards truly harnessing the power of AI in the built environment we must focus on the benefits and remain mindful of the risks.
As we prepare for the future, the work we do with AI and understanding our need of it will largely depend on our role within the built environment. You need to ask yourself: what do I currently do? How will my tasks change? And what tools will be open to me in the future?
Ultimately, it’s not about fearing AI, it’s about ensuring that we are in control of it. The policy, legal aspects and frameworks must be taken seriously in order to ensure the use of AI is properly regulated and we therefore gain the most benefits from it. By working to remove our fear of AI, we can address the fact that we are often slow to catch up and truly take advantage of the technology at our disposal.
Transparency and codes of conduct are therefore key around the use of AI, for example ensuring the programming of the AI is free from bias. Membership and trade bodies, businesses and academics must play their part in ensuring that the ethics of the profession are not compromised due to the use of AI.
Combining this with other technologies such as the internet of things could mean that the whole world as we know it could be positively disrupted. The power is in our hands.