Our latest Pollinate Pulse research shows that half of Australians believe that AI will lead to the downfall of humanity.
Australians may fear AI, but that isn’t stopping them from using it. 85% have tried AI, while more than half of those who believe it will lead to humanity’s downfall continue to use it at least weekly.
And this is not a dilemma because we have no choice here: we are all trapped in a paradox.
The data consistently shows large swathes of society who agree with both positive and negative sentiments about AI.
29% of people agree that AI “will lead to a new dawn of humanity where everyone lives a life of abundance and freedom” but 13% agree with this AND also that AI will lead to the downfall of humanity.
Also, 29% of Australians agree that AI will both lead to “the erosion of critical thinking skills” AND also that AI “has democratised knowledge – now expert-level knowledge is accessible to everyone”
So, has AI become the new tobacco?
Are we addicted to the short-term benefits despite knowing the long-term risks could kill us?
But Australia never had smoking rates of 85%: most people have managed to avoid smoking because smoking does not present a dilemma, let alone a paradox.
Perhaps a better comparison is climate change.
Climate change has taught us something about living with a global threat: we can understand the risks, fear the consequences and still feel powerless to change the outcome. AI is no different.
63% of Australians remain very or extremely concerned about the environment, but they realise their concerns can be cancelled out by short-term economic forced choices.
The consumer is literally powerless in the face of having no choice but to buy plastics and polluting products and services. Australian supermarkets use more plastic today than they did ten years ago and make it cheaper to buy fresh food wrapped in plastic.
Technological innovations that threatened humanity’s very existence used to be managed by global treaties: 191 countries are signatories to the IAEA to avoid nuclear proliferation. If not global treaties, then widely adopted national policies: 75% of the world live in countries with at least one legal mechanism to restrict tobacco.
Climate change has global treaties and national policies that have been ignored: The Paris Agreement has already been surpassed and the ICJ ruling’s ignored.
But at least climate change has a failed global treaty.
AI, meanwhile, is largely in the hands of a small group of tech billionaires, whose commercial interests often appear to outweigh concerns for the public’s wellbeing.
AI has also eroded our ability to make informed decisions about how to protect ourselves. In fact, 72% of Australians agree that “It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s fake now that AI is around”.
Einstein’s saying has probably never been more resonant:
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity”
So, what are we to do?
First of all, accept the paradox. AI is BOTH good and bad. It WILL both help us and help to destroy us at the same time.
Second, don’t fight cognitive dissonance: two conflicting truths can be true. One is simply short-term and one is a long-term system-delay. So, adopt a systems thinking mindset: “Both-And”.
Third: we all need to start thinking creatively.
What could a world look like where AI is humanity’s servant, not our enslaver?
Given that people can’t tell real from fake because of AI, then perhaps it’s time for brands to lead this conversation.
Because people’s experience of branded products and services are still real.
(aren’t they?)
