AI's double-edged sword in workplace: Top scientists sound alarm at 2024 WLA Forum

While AI has the potential to revolutionize industries and improve our lives, recognizing its potential downsides is crucial, said Christopher Pissarides, the 2010 Nobel Prize winner in economics and a Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science on Friday.

Pissarides delivered a speech on "AI at Work" during the keynote session of the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Laureates Forum, which kicked off in east China's Shanghai on Friday.

"Many choices in AI development are not on the right track of 'improving human well-being'," he noted.

He highlighted that in the labor market, role changes are more common than job changes. In the era of AI, jobs will be created and disappear daily. "Employees should pay more attention to the skills needed to stand firm in a world full of AI."

"Traditional AI relies on data, while generative AI can make decisions and even pose a threat to professional jobs," said Pissarides. "Many industries need to rethink their recruitment and training processes."

Echoing these concerns, Jon Kleinberg, a 2024 World Laureates Association Prize winner, also addressed the potential biases and cultural homogenization that can arise from AI during his speech at Fudan University on October 21.

Kleinberg, a professor of computer science at Cornell University, warned that while algorithms may not have inherent biases, they can reflect the biases present in the data they are trained on.

"Even if there is a very rich amount of data, data sometimes cannot 100 percent restore the truth of the world," said Kleinberg. He also emphasized that algorithms may lead to cultural uniformity if everyone uses the same algorithm for decision-making, resulting in highly convergent decisions and cultures.

Gong Ke, executive dean of the Chinese Academy of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies, pointed out at the 2024 World Laureates Forum on Intelligent Science on October 26 that "artificial intelligence did not bring threats as soon as it was born. Instead, threats are accompanied by opportunities." He emphasized that developing AI requires three "companions": safety, reliability and trustworthiness.

The 2024 World Laureates Forum will continue till October 27, with dozens of forums planned.