I feel conflicted about AI

I see great potential and risk in using AI. I feel pressure to figure out which side I’m on and join them in yelling about the utopia or dystopia AI will bring. Am I indecisive because I haven’t picked a side? I don’t think so.

There’s a false dichotomy that AI will either destroy humanity or solve all of our problems. This mindset is not helpful when we’re deciding when and how to use AI. The technology and adoption across use cases are evolving quickly. We must have a growth mindset to tap into our critical thinking skills, so we can make intentional decisions about how we use AI and what we create with AI. 

Incredible possibilities with AI

My favorite part of working in tech as a product manager (since 2015) is uncovering customer problems and then collaborating to solve them using technology. Products I’ve managed have made a difference in people’s lives. I’ll never forget the customer who told me she’d rather work on vacation than give up her license for the software that I managed. The software made her job easier, so much easier that she had more time and energy for her life. I strive to create this experience again and again.

New technology, including AI, gives us new options for solving customer problems. Can we solve problems that were previously too difficult to solve? I hope so! Maybe the customer doesn’t need a solution that includes AI; instead, AI helps my team deliver a great solution faster. That’s a win for the customer too!

A few of the AI use cases that I’m excited about are brain-computer interfaces for people who have communication impairments from ALS or strokes (see UCSF’s work), simulated learning that allows people to practice skills and tasks that are difficult to learn from textbooks (like Sketchy’s DDx), rapid prototyping to reduce the cost of testing a new product idea (like integrating a custom GPT with a product made with Loveable, so people can experience the prototype), and matchmaking with giant matrices (like Every Cure).  

While I am intrigued by the potential of using AI to solve customer problems and use AI in my work, I also have my concerns. 

Potential costs on our cognitive health

Before I worked in tech, I worked as a speech-language pathologist with an expertise in cognitive-communication and executive function. I worked with people who had experienced brain injuries, strokes, and progressive neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s dementia. 

In addition to treating disorders after their onset, I have expertise in the prevention of cognitive impairment and other disorders. A high cognitive reserve can make a big difference if someone experiences cognitive decline. People with dementia can take care of themselves and avoid living in an institution for longer. With mild cognitive impairment, people with a higher cognitive reserve are impacted less because they have further to fall in their abilities. 

I worry that if we delegate too much to AI, we won’t build enough cognitive reserve to protect us from mild cognitive impairment and other cognitive decline. Even worse, what if using our brains to do complex tasks less as we outsource to AI erodes our cognitive reserve? Our brains are constantly changing based on what we ask them to do. We need more research to understand if delegating cognitive tasks impacts our brains negatively over time. We need to know which things are cognitively safe to outsource to AI and which things we should continue to do to protect our brains, or how much outsourcing is too much.

Avoiding social isolation and loneliness is another way to reduce our risk of dementia and cognitive decline. The research on the impact of using technology on loneliness is nuanced; however, some people report spending time with technology and parasocial relationships rather than building relationships with other people. What will be the impact of using AI, including AI companions, on social isolation and healthy aging? 

There’s still so much we don’t know, but it’s worth finding out.

My hope for the future AI

Considering the incredible potential of using AI and the cognitive health risk, I find myself hopeful that we can use AI thoughtfully. We need to continue to explore how we can use AI to solve the problems while maximizing the impact and minimizing harm to people, especially children and those who are more vulnerable. 

To do this, we need to understand the impact of AI and other technology on our cognitive, mental health, and relationships. What use cases help us improve and which use cases erode our health? How long do the effects last? 

Research is ongoing. I have a lot of questions. I created Well and Wired, to answer those questions and share what I’m learning with you. 

I’d love to hear from you. What questions do you have?