Averting its AIll-Fated Future

The people in the international community have once become victims of a global scheme when in the 18th century, the emergence of the infamous Industrial Revolution boosted the global economy. However, along with its massive impact came a wider gap between the rich and the poor as unemployment and loss of livelihoods penetrated the system. Nevertheless, media organizations have played a pivotal role, serving as an avenue for the investigation and reporting on the adverse social consequences of the Industrial Revolution, raising awareness, holding concerned actors accountable, and advocating for workers’ rights and privileges. Relatively, the role of journalism has once again been put on the pedestal as a brand new revolutionary and transformative development in human history transgressed the status quo, posing innumerable quantities of threats, more specifically, on restricting the villain and allowing its ill-fated future from happening.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hottest buzzword in the status quo. The term first emerged in the 1950s coined by John McCarthy which refers to the development and deployment of computer systems that can perform tasks and make decisions relative to human intelligence. It revolutionizes various human aspects, stimulating and replicating human cognitive abilities, improving efficiency, and providing innovative solutions to complex problems. Relatively, experts regard AI as a factor of production, a new source of growth able to change the patterns of work conditions across industries. In fact, an article released by PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that by 2035, AI could potentially contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy. However, relative to the emergence of AI is the unending debate and research on the threats it posits, including ethical considerations, privacy concerns, among others.

Firstly, behind the AI revolution are corporate giants continuously amassing unprecedented power over data and the lives of individual people, perpetuating existing power imbalances and marginalizing already vulnerable communities. Systems are often shrouded in complexity, making them inaccessible to the average person. These giants continue to take advantage of these marginalized sectors bringing forth oppression and extreme exploitation in the front line to further their self-serving and capitalistic interests. Journalism must remove the veil of corporate control and cease the monarchical-like rule of these giants. It should strive to demystify AI and empower the public with knowledge that can enable individuals to participate in shaping the AI revolution, ensuring that decisions about its development are collectively and democratically made. When journalists hold these entities accountable for their exploitative practices, the imbalanced concentration of power will be challenged.

More so, AI has disrupted the dynamics in academia. The integration of AI in the academe can lead to the reduction of direct human interaction which is crucial for critical thinking and social skills development. The quality of learning may be compromised as AI lacks the empathy and contextual understanding of human instructors, resulting in overreliance that hinders independent thinking and problemsolving skills. However, journalism should probe and report on these ramifications where concerned institutions are held accountable and ethical discussions and public understanding are facilitated.

Nevertheless, these roles should just never be exclusively limited to huge media organizations; instead, there needs as well for an acknowledgment of the university and college student publications like Bagwis, among others. They should grasp a strong foothold in the academe, serving as democratic vanguards that always checks and promotes ethical considerations across the student body. Bagwis and other college publications should be in the front line of upholding the creed of journalism that any suppression of the news, for any consideration other than the welfare of the society, is indefensible.

In the era of Artificial Intelligence, journalism must rise as a radical force that challenges the status quo and unveils the concealed realities of this transformative technology. This is not a slippery slope where the existence of one thing leads to the ill-fated occurrence of another like how the emergence of the industrial revolution has certainly resulted in social and environmental consequences. There is not a question of the benefits AI has and is about to provide mankind, but its existence and the consequent ramifications it posits should be restricted by the presence of democratic vanguards who will pave the way for a more equitable society. Journalism in its innate nature and the constant pursuit of truth, justice, and social equity must expose the perils and pitfalls of AI, and disrupt the dominant narrative that holds those in positions of influence accountable. Through it, journalism can translate the AI revolution not following the footprints of the Industrial Revolution, but instead, averting it from its doomed ill-fated future.