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Paul Pavlou, who was named dean of the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School in July, encourages a tandem approach to the study and effective use of AI, one that explores the technologyâs benefits and potential while simultaneously safeguarding for its ethical and responsible use.Â
âAI is just anotherâalbeit extremely powerfulâtechnology that can be used positively or negatively,â Pavlou said of artificial intelligence. âWhoever uses it thinks that itâs positive, even with weaponry. You use technology to advance your agenda, and people can judge whether it is good or bad.Â
âAt Miami Herbert, we teach a lot about the ethics of AIâthe explainability and the ability to control who is responsible for the missions about the technology. We focus on the proper ethics because as AI becomes more and more powerful, we have to be even more responsible and accountable for its power,â he said.Â
Yet Pavlou suggested that the concern for responsibility should not impede exploring AIâs potential.Â
âEthics can be very technical and sometimes viewed as a highly philosophical discussion, useful but not very practical,â he said. âIf you start with âbe careful, donât touch,â this approach can detract people from learning and knowing how to use it. So itâs important to start with understanding the benefits and not be overly cautious or fearful.âÂ
Striving for that balance is consistent with the deanâs approach to technology in general.Â
âEvery technologyâand we can go back in historyâcan certainly be viewed as bad,â he noted. âThe internet, for example, started with that hype, and it certainly has been used for bad, yet we cannot deny that it has had many positive benefitsâthe ability to help us communicate, interact, and socialize. It has been very useful.âÂ
Pavlou is a proponent of âAI for all, AI everywhere, and the democratization of AI.âÂ
âEveryone, not just technical people, should be learning how to effectively use AI,â he said. âI really believe in the democratization of AIâfor people across the board to be using it. AI will affect the future of work, and itâs pretty clear that it will do more of the human work, replacing jobsâthough not eviscerating jobsâwill happen as well.âÂ
Pavlou suggested that workers who use AI will become more effective, especially as jobs are changing, and replace those who do not. For example, writers who use AI can be more effective, more efficient, and quicker at doing their work, he said.Â
âAnd itâs the same thing for almost all professions,â he added. âIf I use the technology, I can do my job better, be more productive, and will replace those that refuse to use it. That should be the message going forwardâthat AI should be for all. Itâs here to stay, and if we use it effectively, weâll be better off both individually, institutionally, and even societally.âÂ
Yet these changes will not happen overnight, the dean emphasized. He noted that technology generally creates more jobs and, even as AI changes the labor market, the new technology will create more jobs than ever before.Â
He pointed to agriculture and manufacturing as examples of how technology has shifted industries.Â
âBasically, machines do most of the very important job of creating food for all of us. Percentagewise, and compared to a hundred years ago, very few people actually work in agriculture, yet they produce food for eight billion people compared to the half a billion when there was no machinery in agriculture,â said Pavlou, adding that the technologies alleviate the need for people to do the more mundane and dangerous work.Â
The bigger question to be answered, he said, is how to upskill people to get them trained for the new emerging professions.Â
In recent months, Pavlou has been overseeing the development of a five-year strategic plan, identifying key alumni, students, industry partners, as well as key stakeholders in the South Florida community.Â
âIâm a big proponent of what we can do together with other schools at the University, and weâre looking at how we can work with the emerging major industries in the area and provide them with the talent theyâre looking for,â said Pavlou. âWeâre developing a collective vision and are looking to do something bold and exciting.â