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A central promise of artificial intelligence is to automate away tedious routine tasks, but a lingering worry is that it will chip away at our humanity, causing people to lean on computers to the detriment of their ability to think critically.
Catch up quick: A new survey from the PR firm Edelman, conducted last summer with 1,000 Americans, shows widespread worry around the social effects of swiftly advancing AI.
- 74% said "intelligent and human-like" devices will lessen the need for interactions with other people and lead to more isolation.
- 67% said AI increases the possibility of "digitally enhanced group think, lessening creativity and freedom of thought."
- 71% said AI will lead to a "dumbing down of people."
"People tend to trust the information they are presented by their digital devices, and it’s possible with AI — given the vast amounts of personal data that drive those systems — to steadily persuade individuals and entire groups to a certain point of view."— Gary Grossman, head of Edelman's AI center