AI and the Future Of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special, which aired tonight on ABC and will debut tomorrow on Hulu, is the scariest movie I’ve seen all year. On a starkly barren, yet futuristically lit set, Oprah interviews many key figures in the world of artificial intelligence, along with those already trying to fight against the bleakest possibilities.
To start the special, she chats with Sam Altman, known as the CEO of Open AI (which runs ChatGPT). Since it is only an hour special, each individual Winfrey interviews gets about five minutes to answer questions about the service. In those five minutes, Altman’s confidence (or lack thereof in some cases) horrified me in such a profound way, I’ve decided to k*ll Siri. Throughout the interview, Winfrey’s trepidations were present.
The trepidations of this new and rapidly growing technology are felt throughout the hour run time. Whenever an individual shares a fact about the benefits, and there are many, the overwhelming fear surrounding AI starts to slowly creep into view. The way AI has the ability to absolutely change the medical industry, furthering research on cures for deadly diseases at an astronomical pace, is a thrilling prospect. Artificial intelligence and the individuals behind the tech have created a clear path in which many ailments could become non-existant through possible cures. Yet, paired with those exciting glimpses of the future are horrifying realizations about how it could ruin the human experience.
When Altman or Bill Gates are tasked with talking about the fears, both individuals respond with vague non-answers that we should be worried about what’s to come. It’s quite a scary proposition, especially when both also highlight how the technology is growing at a speed faster than we can keep up with productively. A pair of interviewees at one point are truly frightened at what could come from unregulated AI technology, but there doesn’t seem to be a visible goal in sight for how to accomplish that.
The end of the special features a conversation with author Marilynne Robinson. As a creative individual with no true connection to the tech world. Her hopes and fears of what AI could bring to society were a perfect summation of how we should all tread carefully when looking towards this image of the future. However, the first step has to include a strong understanding of what we’re actually dealing with as humans. AI and the Future Of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special is the perfect morsel of a lesson to take with us as, whether we like it or not, the AI journey continues.
AI and the Future Of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special hits Hulu on September 13th.
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