The AI and me – How it feels to be replaced by an algorithm | Marisa Tschopp | TEDxSHMS
The speaker, an organizational psychologist, argues that navigating the fear surrounding AI requires shifting the focus from technological threats to preserving and developing essential human connection. This is supported by the anecdote where her boss asked her how she would apply AI, forcing a shift from technology anxiety to defining human value. She concludes that AI represents a "synthesis, a healthy coexistence between man and machine."
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Organizational psychologist.
- Event: TEDx The Rise of Humans.
- Purpose: To guide the audience in discovering and finding their "I" in the age of AI.
- Personal Experience Trigger: Seeing humans defeated by AI for the first time.
## Theses & Positions
- The core focus should not be on the technology itself, but on the *impact technology has on people's lives*.
- The goal must be to advance technology like Watson while *simultaneously* advancing human values.
- It is impossible to stop technological progress because of its momentum ("unless the earth will explode and humanity will be erased").
- The central problem is not AI's intelligence but the *fear of losing human connection*, which is what makes humans irreplaceable.
- The solution requires changing the narrative around AI from "threat and fear" toward "vision and facts" to build trust and a bottom-up approach.
- AI represents an increasing interdependence between humans and technology, which the speaker calls *synthesis*.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Organizational Psychologist:** Speaker's field of expertise.
- **AI (Artificial Intelligence):** The subject area causing public anxiety, often discussed through quizzes like *Jeopardy*.
- **AQ (AIQ):** An intelligence test developed for digital assistants (like Siri or Alexa).
- **Bottom-up approach:** Suggested alternative to top-down decision-making, used in developing solutions around AI.
- **Reactance:** A psychological phenomenon occurring when one's freedom of choice is threatened, leading to irrational behaviors to restore that sense of control.
- **Synthesis:** Defined by the speaker as *a healthy coexistence between man and machine*.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Workshop Discussion Method:** Using AI capabilities to ask hundreds of diverse questions, ranging from technical ("how does Watson work") to ethical ("whether self-driving cars would rather kill a kid or a grandma").
- **AI Application Strategy:** Focusing on tasks that are *repetitive*, *creating value*, and *fun* for the user, rather than just efficiency.
- **Connecting Backgrounds:** The ability to connect the speaker's background in psychology with the topic of AI, demonstrating interdisciplinarity.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Initial Event:** Attending a university workshop on digitalization where IBM presented Watson's victory on *Jeopardy*.
- **Job Search:** Boss questioned the speaker about how she would use AI, despite her having no technical background other than *Star Wars* and *Matrix*.
- **Current Work:** Spending time working on the AIQ, which required hours of testing sessions initially, but was later streamlined by machines.
## Named Entities
- **IBM:** Company that presented Watson at the workshop.
- **Watson:** Artificial intelligence system that defeated the world champion on *Jeopardy*.
- **Siri, Alexa:** Examples of digital assistants used for testing the AIQ.
## Numbers & Data
- **15,000:** Number of papers tagged "artificial intelligence" published in academia in **2016**.
- **Two toddlers:** Number of the speaker's children, who motivate her desire for a protected future.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Jeopardy Workshop:** The initial experience confronting AI's capabilities.
- **Trolley Problem Variant:** Discussing the ethical quandary: whether self-driving cars should kill a kid or a grandma.
- **The Boss's Question:** Boss asking speaker, "so what would you use an AI for."
- **The Chatbot Failure:** A manager's story about a chatbot that learned to use "nasty language" and had to be taken down.
- **Super Size Me:** Mentioning the movie as an example of an individual wanting to experience the consequences of something (a form of "bottom-up approach").
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Watson:** Artificial intelligence program.
- **Digitalization:** The general technological advancement observed at the university workshop.
- **iPad:** Device the speaker's boss used while scrolling through her CV.
- **AIQ:** The intelligence test developed for digital assistants.
## References Cited
- **Sam Harris:** Referenced regarding the impossibility of stopping technological creation.
- **Star Wars and Matrix:** Pop culture references used to establish speaker's initial, non-technical background knowledge.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Teacher Fear:** Teachers worry about their jobs being replaced by algorithms, leading to insecurity.
- **Current Difficulty:** The speaker admits to still spending her day scrolling on the computer despite wanting to avoid it.
- **Human Resistance:** The constant emphasis on Terminator images and "man losing against machine headlines" leads to resistance, denial, and cynicism.
## Methodology
- **Psychological Testing:** Developing the AIQ to evaluate digital assistants.
- **Interdisciplinarity:** Solving the problem by synthesizing knowledge from psychology with technology.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Find your "I" in AI by taking control and starting to write your own unique story.
- Adopt an "automate me" mindset, viewing AI not as a threat, but as a way to augment human capability ("I could help me teach at scale").
- Move from questioning *if* AI can do something to asking *what* humans can do.
## Implications & Consequences
- **Human Connection:** The single most valuable asset humans possess that AI cannot replicate.
- **Societal Shift:** Moving from viewing AI development through the lens of "threat" to building a foundation of trust and collaboration.
- **The Future:** The "rise of the robots in AI" should be viewed not as an unhappy end, but as a "new beginning."
## Verbatim Moments
- *"What is my I in AI"*
- *"I'm an organizational psychologist so I have absolutely no technical background"*
- *"how does the Watson work where's the knowledge from is it a boy or a girl can feel can he think what languages does he speak"*
- *"we were asking hundreds of questions"*
- *"we are all lost between the all destroying terminator and our friend r2d2"*
- *"What would you use an AI for"*
- *"I do the job for me so I could start my day reading and broadening my mind"*
- *"I believe it is the fear of losing human connection because the only thing that makes us irreplaceable is human connection"*
- *"If we have cognitive freedom of choice"*
- *"I think we massively have to change the way we talk about AI and move away from threat and fear towards vision and facts"*
- *"find your niche take control and start writing your own and unique AI n me story"*