AI Will Change the World. But How Exactly?

Avi Asher-Schapiro: “At the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust Conference, we premiered a documentary that looks at how AI has fueled massive innovation in the neurotechnology industry, making it easier for wearables like headbands and earbuds to actually read our thoughts. The implications for healthcare, consumer electronics, as well as privacy, are hard to overstate—and regulators are still grappling with how to develop guardrails.”

AA: “Our Mexico correspondent Diana Baptista has been reporting on the impact of the AI boom on the drought-wracked region of Mexico which has recently begun to host AI data centers from some of the biggest companies in the world: Microsoft, Google and Amazon. AI data centers are known to use a lot of water to cool their servers—and that could be a problem. None of the companies would tell her how much water the facilities would use, though Diana was able to get public records showing that Microsoft had obtained a concession to use about 25% of the total water in the city of Colón.”

AA: “An estimated two-thirds of the world’s population has unmet justice needs. With Chat GPT-4 famously capable of passing the US bar exam, could AI be the future of closing the justice gap by maximizing lawyers’ time? In this conversation from the Trust Conference, experts discuss the opportunities to use AI in the courtroom, as well as how lawyers can address concerns about deepfakes, bias, and inequality.”

AA: “Many are calling the war in Gaza the “First AI War,” with the Israeli military relying on advanced AI tools to identify and pick targets. This piece, which I reported with our colleague in Beirut, looks at some of the ethical implications of this trend—and spotlights some tech workers who are trying to stop their employers selling tech tools to power a war.”

AA: “Leaked documents from New York’s largest hospital system give a rare and unvarnished glimpse into how healthcare providers are experimenting with AI. It remains to be seen if the tools will help clinicians be more efficient and up the level of care, or whether it will give an excuse to reduce staffing levels and cut corners.”

AA: “A great piece from the LA Times on the impact of AI in Hollywood—where big promises are being made about the potential for generative AI to revolutionize how movies and TV are made. So why is it taking so long?”

AA: “For an optimistic read on the future of AI, you can go straight to the source: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman laid out his view in a recent blog post. Altman is a fascinating figure—he survived several attempts to oust him from his company, and he sees AI playing a key role in revolutionizing work, solving the climate crisis, and even establishing space colonies.”

AA: “Brian Merchant—the author of a great book on the misunderstood Luddites—sounds a skeptical note here contrasting the hype about the promise of AI, with the very real devastation brought to communities across the U.S. during a recent wave of hurricanes and extreme weather events.”