ThinkTWENTY20

By Gerald Trites

“A recent study by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) shows that Canadians are diving into new AI tools with excitement but are missing out on understanding the potential downsides.”

Especially since the advent of ChatGPT, the use of AI in various arenas has been expanding quickly. Everyone is talking about it but not everyone is aware of the issues it presents. This is slowly changing, since many people are experimenting with Generative AI and learning that it doesn’t always produce reliable results. In fact, sometimes it invents its own inaccurate results. This can be annoying but becomes a serious problem if the AI is being used, for example, for medical diagnosis.

The study, “titled Incautiously Optimistic, was based on analyzing 6.9 million social media posts and years of online searches about AI, and uncovered an overwhelmingly positive view of AI. Canadians of all ages, especially in Québec, are engaged. However, users appear more interested in the fun side of AI, often overlooking concerns like fairness and bias.”

To help with awareness, CIFAR has introduced a free online course, “Destination AI,” which should be useful in addressing this emerging and ongoing issue.

For more information, see, “Study reveals Canadians aren’t aware of potential AI downsides” in IT World Canada.