On April 9th, the Language Centre held an English Corner on AI and Society, facilitated by Russell Burgess. 20 students attended despite rainy weather to hear about the potential impacts of AI on modern society, covering the history of technological unemployment and the Luddite Fallacy, arguments in favour of AI taking the place of human workers, examples of AI hallucination, and fears about the implications of AI competing for jobs.
Students shared what they used AI for, why they felt jobs were considered so important for people, how much they trusted the AI they used, and overall whether AI posed a net benefit or a net danger to human society. The final question gave students an opportunity to engage with others who shared their view, and come up with ways to express and share their opinion on the topic.
The questions, presentation, and final discussion saw students thinking about the future of this technology and how it compared to other mechanization in the past, what it means for humans and their access to income and fulfillment, and how to express the feelings they had about a topic that has been causing both excitement and anxiety all around the world.
Writer: Russell Burgess
Photographer: Zhi Hui
