The era of artificial intelligence is here and businesses should use the tool wisely rather than shy away from it, according to presenters at the Kruse Way Economic Forum. The discussion Tuesday, April 30 was hosted by Buckley Law, the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce and other organizations at the Kruse Oaks Conference Center.
At the event, Portland State University professor Christof Teuscher, Buckley Law shareholder Martin Medeiros and city of Lake Oswego librarian April Younglove discussed the rise of AI, as well as some of the practical and legal challenges associated with the tool and how businesses should harness it.
The academic perspective
Teuscher, a professor in the Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science at PSU, said algorithms would become so ubiquitous that they would almost disappear into the fabric of everyday life. However, he said AI is in an early stage of the hype cycle — which may eventually lead to a downturn before becoming a steady and productive aspect of the economy.
AI is helpful, he said, because humans are fallible and having tools to make better decisions isn’t a bad thing.
However, he said there are pitfalls with the implementation of AI platforms like ChatGPT — one being the heavy use of carbon emissions that exacerbate climate change. Teuscher referenced a forecast by the International Energy Agency saying that data centers, cryptocurrencies and AI represent 2% of global energy demand.
“We have a problem because computers use a lot of power,” he said, adding that he sees such consumption as a bigger risk than more dramatic AI narratives about computers taking over the world.
However, Teuscher noted that his department and Intel are working on building more climate-friendly computers.
Another challenge, he said, is that some uses of AI have contributed to the disintegration of public trust in society and institutions. For instance,AI tools can be used to show fabricated but realistic images and recordings of people without their consent.
“What can we trust? We don’t really know and that is a huge issue,” he said.
How AI relates to business
Medeiros discussed factors businesses should consider when utilizing AI, such as knowing the sources of information that the AI’s algorithm uses. ChatGPT, for instance, uses information from the internet, not all of which is factual. He also referenced the lawsuit between The New York Times and ChatGPT, which the publication filed because the AI platform uses the NYT’s articles to train its algorithm.
“The question came up years ago: ‘Can AI own copyright?’ The answer is no, only humans can own copyrights and patents,” he said.
Medeiros also said that companies should be careful about what they put on their websites, as AI data scrapers can take that information and use it elsewhere.
Human review is essential to using AI effectively, Medeiros said, and the technology is good for some tasks but not others. Medeiros referenced a case where a company used AI to vet job candidates, leading to discrimination of older applicants and a lawsuit.
“Am I trying to take a difficult, mundane, labor intensive task out of my workforce? That is a great use. If it’s to innovate or be creative, you probably want to have a second thought about that,” he said.
Medeiros said that robots and algorithms can influence behavior in a profound way, particularly in terms of children's opinions. He specifically called out social media algorithms like the one used by TikTok.
“I’m adverse to TikTok. I’ve done lots of enterprise agreements with TikTok. It’s next-level psychological persuasion that I have never seen and it’s not a secret. They actually put it in their terms of use and if you are an enterprise customer you can actually negotiate through those but it’s not easy,” he said. “TikTok is very sophisticated at human psychology, getting people to move in a certain direction.”
What does AI have to do with the library?
Younglove acknowledged that many audience members may be wondering why she, as a librarian, was asked to present at this event. She said she has a strong interest in AI and was recommended by the city to discuss it.
The librarian referenced research in her presentation showing that 60% of workers currently work with AI and that 100 million people will work with AI robot colleagues by 2026. She said companies should have policies around AI use rather than forbidding it altogether, as AI will be used by employees no matter what. She also said not to treat AI like it’s perfect but to make sure that AI-generated content is scrutinized by humans.
Companies should continue to maintain the human element in their work, she said, as customers can sometimes be put off having to interact with AI bots. She added that AI can prove helpful when writing a letter or summarizing bullet points from a meeting,, but struggles with complex math. She also said proprietary AI platforms can vary significantly in cost and quality.
“AI may or may not be the best solution. That depends on what you are doing, how much you want to pay and how you want to do the task,” she said.
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