Not replaced by AI
Artificial intelligence is likely poorly placed to motivate people and keep them accountable
There are some ways in which artificial intelligence is already smarter and better than people across the board. Think of chess, writing a generic high school essay quickly and smoothly, and generating beautiful artwork (see above). The capabilities and speed of this burgeoning technology have people worried that they will be replaced by artificial intelligence, especially at their place of employment.
This worry is understandable and well-founded. And it got me think about ways in which artificial intelligence cannot replace humans, at least not for a long time. But what are humans good at that artificial intelligence cannot easily displace? And then it hit me: accountability. No matter how smart, efficient, and cheap artificial intelligence becomes at completing tasks that were once done by humans, it lacks the ability—perhaps due to our psychology and tribal nature—to motivate us and to hold us accountable. As a friend of mine recently noted,
I just don’t give a sh*t what the AI thinks of me. In some ways that makes it a better teacher—I’m not afraid of asking it stupid questions. But with regard to accountability, [not so much].
Think about your own case. Do you care what artificial intelligence ‘thinks’ of you? I find myself having a similar sense. I care what my wife, my family, my friends, and even my students think of me, depending of course on the context. However, I do not care what artificial intelligent thinks of me. So, when it comes to motivate people and keeping them—at least until passable androids are invented—humans have little to fear from artificial intelligence.
Here’s a good analogy to clarify. People can meet their exercise needs by going to the gym, watching workout videos, and using gym equipment. However, some people need personal trainers to keep them motivated and accountable because without that motivation and accountability they wouldn’t exercise. A classroom with an artificial intelligence capable of teaching the class will likely still need a human teacher to motivate students and keep them accountable. There are many examples like this.
This suggests that jobs in which people are needed to motivated and hold accountable others, there is less room for humans to be fully replaced by artificial intelligence, even if such technology would make such people more efficient at their jobs. And it is likely that there are many more jobs where a human element will still be demanded for the long term, even with advanced artificial intelligence.
Seems like it would leverage the power of coaches, teachers, managers and others who hold people accountable. Mechanized farming didn’t eliminate farmers. It made them a hundred times more productive.