Below is a transcript of our conversation with Ben Andera, CMU’s Special Advisor for Artificial Intelligence
David Nicholas:
I'm David Nicholas, and this is Central Focus, a weekly look at research activity and innovative work from Central Michigan University students and faculty. Last week we met Ben Andera (An dray), CMU's first ever special advisor for artificial intelligence. Our conversation continued as we talked about what, at a glance, sounds simple, but at times can be one of the toughest challenges, and that is not letting the technology think for us. We also looked at the potential fallout from the recent high-profile court case involving leading AI companies…
Certainly I can understand and appreciate the positives, but to ask the question that is fair, if there were a single point or two or three, 5, whatever the number might be, what are the concerns you have for what can be done with or what AI represents as we sit down today?
Ben Andera:
My probably biggest concern is that students are going to give away their own learning, that they're going to rely on a tool instead of learning themselves and thinking critically. I think our goal here at CMU is to grow intelligence, and I really want to see the future in a brighter spot. I think this AI technology has the opportunity to elevate our capabilities. But I have also seen technology, doom scrolling, you know, where I, you know, misinformation, people spreading misinformation that have real concerns. So this is another tool in a technology that is going to have good and bad to it. It's up to us as humans to think about it critically, strategically, and use our own human ethics as we implement. Our job is to teach students how to think with AI, not let AI think for them. Other challenges as it relates to cybersecurity, as it relates to data privacy, We have to be very, very thoughtful of the data we're giving away to these machines.
DN:
Lots of headlines of recent note of it being part of a huge lawsuit and involving some very prominent names. Is there anything in the arguments coming out of that you think would trickle down to the level that it may be used, whether here at CMU or elsewhere, or is that just It's splashy, it's headlines, it's money, it's name recognition, whatever the case may be.
BA:
It is broadly capable of helping each area and having negative impacts on each area. So I think there needs to just be a lot more education around AI, discipline specific as well, that is going to help combat that. So yes, I do believe that it will trickle down. And as higher ed, as CMU continues to evolve, we are going to have to understand these tools and how it impacts each of our different majors and how it can add benefit and negative aspects.
DN:
Ben, Andera, thank you very much for sharing the status of it, the potential of it, a nod to some of the concerns about it, and best of luck in your position managing it for the best possible uses, the positive uses. here at CMU. We appreciate the time.
BA:
Thank you very much for having me.
