Watching artist Sir Grayson Perry visit Silicon Valley to take a creative’s look at how AI and robotics will shape the future got me thinking – clearly no-one knows exactly what AI will do next, because that outcome reflects the best and worst of who we are as humans.
It wasn’t the robot being trained to teach children to be kind that seemed wrong. It was that there’s a need for such a thing in the first place.
The developer’s response was telling: humans don’t seem to be doing a great job of teaching people to be kind. Roughly what I heard, but don’t quote me on that.
I’ve written previously about curiosity and homework being the entry point and gateway for children experimenting with AI chatbots, and how fast that develops into what around a third of children researched now call a ‘friend.’ I can only see the introduction of AI robots teaching children from a younger age accelerating take-up and amplifying the problem.
AI experts are already working on ways to give AI maternal instincts.
The point I’m getting to is that AI is much more than a fancy calculator. What came across in Grayson Perry’s programme is a new gold rush and the bounty is our attention. Our children’s attention. That’s the new economy. We know this instinctively, but it’s helpful when someone like Grayson Perry brings it to our attention as only he could.
Which brings me to one more thought. This is the kind of programme we need more of. We need a giant conversation about what AI is and what we want it to become — otherwise it will be what it’s already becoming: a slot machine that keeps bringing us back for more. Haven’t we seen that somewhere before – our socials?
I’m thinking and writing about AI as a parent. That’s my lens. That’s what matters to me.
One final thing. Kudos to Jack Clark, Co-founder of Anthropic, who I spotted discreetly wiping a tear from his eye as Grayson talked about wanting to be optimistic — not optimised by AI.
Jack told a story about how Claude had told a bit of a porky to save its skin in what was a controlled experiment. I knew the story already. But watching him tell it, I could see how much weight sits on his and his colleagues’ shoulders to do the right thing.
Let’s hope it stays that way.
Ps. No. Grayson Perry didn’t draw the robot.
My book on exactly this is out in May.
