AI Anxiety

Bibliographic Data

ID23345332
AuthorsDeborah G Johnson (University of Virginia, corresponding author), Mario Verdicchio (0000-0002-4377-8619, University of the West of Scotland, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume68
Issue9
Pages2267-2270
Publication date2017-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2330-1635 • E-ISSN: 2330-1643
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/asi.23867
OpenAlexW4243249985
LanguageEN
Citations received85
References cited2

Recently a number of well‐known public figures have expressed concern about the future development of artificial intelligence (AI), by noting that AI could get out of control and affect human beings and society in disastrous ways. Many of these cautionary notes are alarmist and unrealistic, and while there has been some pushback on these concerns, the deep flaws in the thinking that leads to them have not been called out. Much of the fear and trepidation is based on misunderstanding and confusion about what AI is and can ever be. In this work we identify 3 factors that contribute to this “AI anxiety”: an exclusive focus on AI programs that leaves humans out of the picture, confusion about autonomy in computational entities and in humans, and an inaccurate conception of technological development. With this analysis we argue that there are good reasons for anxiety about AI but not for the reasons typically given by AI alarmists.

Affect (linguistics) · Anxiety · Autonomy · Cognitive science · Confusion · Epistemology · Focus (optics) · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Communication · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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