Saint Anselm College’s Center for Ethics in Society hosted a panel at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics to discuss the state of artificial intelligence (AI) in New Hampshire. Professor Marc Rugani, director of the Center of Ethics, kicked off the event by emphasizing the College’s mission to help students understand the growing use of AI in the modern age.
“Saint Anselm College’s mission is its commitment to Catholic social teaching which invites all persons to consider dignity of the human person, interdependence in solidarity with our biotic and abiotic communities, and the common good in our discernment of AI use, and even AI as a partner who experiences a different “way of being” than we do,” Rugani states.
Featured speaker Cameron Shilling, director of litigation & chair of cybersecurity and privacy group of McLane Middleton, made a compelling thesis highlighting how AI in the workplace can be used as a tool to help workers become more efficient and accurate in their work.
Throughout Shilling’s presentation, he emphasized how AI can amplify human potential in the workforce. Organizations close to the Hilltop are using AI in bold new ways. Medical institutions such as Manchester's Elliot Hospital use AI as a tool to create notes during patient visits. This allows clinicians to review, edit, and approve notes in a fraction of the time.
Furthermore, Massachusetts General Bringham is advancing the cause of human health by using AI to help radiologists detect cancerous cells.
“The technology does so with 94% accuracy that far exceeds the accuracy of humans,” Shilling stated. While AI provides the analytics, the radiologists are the decision makers. This fosters relationships with doctors and patients that improves patient outcomes in the medical field.
Shilling continued to explain how AI in the workforce benefits sustainable expansion within an organization. Efficiency funds investment, insight nourishes decision-making, innovation produces uniqueness, and agility drives execution. Combined, these benefits foster a growing environment in the workforce.
Outside of the office, AI is being used as a tool to enhance environmental stewardship. On the coast of Maine, salmon farmers are using AI to grow their profitability by integrating sensors into the fisheries to generate real-time data on temperature, oxygen, and feeding patterns. AI then uses this data to refine feeding schedules and to adjust aquatic environments that leads to reducing waste and enhancing fish health.
“So, if salmon farmers on the coast of Maine can benefit from AI, certainly we can too” states Shilling.
In order for AI to be used as a tool to enhance accuracy and efficiency in the workplace, it is important to understand the principles that create the trust between humans and AI. When using AI, Shilling explained how we need to have transparency and inform others before we use it. Asking and receiving consent for the use of AI can give rise to its acceptance.
We need to take accountability and understand the rules that exist for all users of AI. When we are accountable in our use, trust can grow. We need to be fair and understand that AI can produce illegitimate information. We need to consistently monitor AI for bias.
These principles exemplify that the workforce must train employees how to properly use AI in order to ensure that it amplifies human potential and not replace it.
After Shilling's speech, the floor opened to panel members Leo Schrantz of Vestmark, Chris Toppin of Mainstay Technologies, and Steve Leone of Concord Monitor to discuss the ethics of AI in their workplace. Each guest explained how AI is implemented in their work and where the fine line of AI decision making is.
“Where are we okay with AI making decisions for the half of the user and where do we need to pull that advisor into the process of authorizing things and driving things forward?” asked Schrantz.
It is clear that the dawn of AI is here, being implemented in everyday life. Some may be unsure as to what the future holds in a society where artificial intelligence is so influential. While others are confident that AI will improve human skill and decision making. Either way, the question that should not be asked is if AI will replace humans? The question that should be asked is how will AI be used to amplify human potential?