The transformational impact of AI… Talat Masood

As the advanced countries grapple with how to integrate generative artificial intelligence (AI) in work and in their systems, it will not be too long that the rest of the world would follow. How would it transform the way we think or act and what benefits countries like Pakistan can draw from it while also being careful of the dangers of its misuse?

The development of AI has been going on for the last 15-20 years and what we see now is a different form of it. And the most popular one is ChatGPT. Other forms are employed in services, movie streaming like Netflix, military applications, driverless cars and many more to come in future. But these developments are not without consequences — both positive and negative depending on its application. It is not any dissimilar to most other technological developments like nuclear or space.

What is more significant and needs to be evaluated is how AI would impact the economy and the job market. It will result in certain jobs becoming redundant and employees needing different skills and educational background. This will have consequences for the common person as many would lose jobs. However, optimising the supply chain programme would have its benefits as it will strengthen the economy.

In Pakistan, certain business enterprises such as Daraz, Food Panda, Careem, etc are already using some version of AI. Essentially, these companies are leveraging various AI tools to help boost the performance of their daily operations and logistics management in order to maximise revenue and growth. Hopefully other companies, government and private institutions, big or small, will use this technology to improve efficiency and remain competitive.

If there is no proper legislation of this technology it could be subjected to abuse and create confusion in society. It should be labeled with facial recognition to identify the user. There are fears that dictatorships and autocratic governments could use it to identify threats, real or presumed, to target civilians who do not conform to their thinking or oppose their political agenda. Apparently certain states that have a social credit system can use AI to target or favour someone — a group, private entity or government — depending on how the person or party is disposed towards the regime.

A recent article in The New York Times on the risks from AI warns that it “isn’t just existential” and draws attention to what more than 350 technology executives, researchers and academics state about the existential dangers of artificial intelligence. AI is akin to technologies such as nuclear or space that can be applied in the service of humanity or could be a source of its annihilation considering their destructive potential.

On the positive side, AI can be a great facilitator in several areas ranging from personalised shopping to the mass introduction of autonomous vehicles. AI-powered assistants should contribute to improving the quality of discourse and writing content. It would be an effective tool of the government and private sector for fraud prevention. It can aid educators by having administrative tasks automated and creating smart content. Personalised learning is another potential area that can benefit students, scholars and any one desirous of educating himself. And its benefits are many more.

Use of AI in medicine is currently under serious discussion as it has several applications, especially for figuring out new treatment of diseases.

AI’s use in the financial sector can bring greater profits and can be a useful tool for better utilisation of funds by the government and private sector and in detection of fraud and embezzlement. Its proper use apart from compliance is in risk audit, thereby reducing possibility of losses. The workforce should also be educated about this technology. And it is expected that AI would be taught in colleges. However, introducing AI in various sectors will have to be accompanied by educating the use and benefits of it. It would need development of a culture that promotes efficiency and overall integrity in governance and managing programmes. Any system which is collaborative could relatively benefit more from use of AI. It would be useful to know how other countries are using AI and benefiting from it. In India, PM Modi has been promoting AI and other smart and cutting-edge technologies. Google has an office in India and so does Amazon in which Indians are working, using AI.

To remain competitive Pakistan will have to develop widespread understanding of AI technology and equally important is to promote awareness of the dangers in its misuse. The government should also take a considered decision on whether the governance of AI will be with the ministry of information or managed as a separate entity.

Seminars and conferences should be organised to build awareness of the uses and hazards of misuse of AI.

Moreover, similar to cyber security regulation Pakistan should introduce AI legislation in consultation with AI experts and studying the legal framework of other countries. In fact, the government should seriously consider developing a pool of legal experts who are well-versed in laws governing AI sector. To the best of my understanding the UN or any other international organisation has yet to introduce legislation pertaining specific to AI development or its usage.

As of now Pakistan’s users of AI are mostly dependent on developments taking place in other countries but it would be in national interest for the government to promote its development and adaptation in certain sectors for achieving efficiency and reducing costs. Equally critical would be the effectiveness of the government to keep a check on its misuse and guard against foreign or outside elements distorting the system.

It is not clear how increasing dependence on AI by engineers, doctors and other professionals will improve their skills and competence or make them more dependent on it. Most likely, it would depend on how AI is developed and used for the benefit of people and society at large.

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