AI in the think tank World: My Personal Assistant, Not (Yet) My Friend

Abstract

In 2019, I shifted my approach towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) from academia to the political sphere. I transitioned from studying the risk of AI for autonomous driving in Edinburgh to serving as a policy advisor on AI in Berlin. Although I was never a supporter of the Kurzweil-Narrative in The Singularity is Near (2005) regarding AI’s evolution to surpass human intelligence, I remember that at that time, the consensus among the community was that AI would at least become ubiquitous in the following few years. Highlighting this point might seem almost redundant, considering that at least half of the readers of this text are likely wondering if ChatGPT played a role in its creation. However, it’s important to note that discussing AI often feels like missing the forest for the trees. There are many AI applications out there that make life much easier. However, there are nearly as many problems associated with their use, demonstrating that AI is far from being a friend. Therefore, the text that follows shine upon aspect of the benefits AI provides as a digital tool akin to a personal assistant especially within the think tank world but also analyses ethical considerations and the state of technology that prevent it from being entirely reliable.