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A Cork city councillor has voiced concern about the impact of article intelligence on jobs – warning that it cannot be allowed to take human work at the expensive of people’s salaries and relationships.
Labour Councillor Peter Horgan said that AI will be “a massive part of our lives” in the near future – but that “we should be cautious” about its use. Cllr Horgan added that he was proud that Cork City Council still maintains a manned service centre staffed by “real people.”
He said: āThere are those who believe AI is the next salvation for mankind. Thereās no doubt that AI will be a massive part of our lives going forward but we should be cautious.
“We must ensure, as a local authority, that roles will not be subsumed by the march of AI and supposed cost savings on peopleās salaries and human interaction levels.
“Yes, AI will lead to job changes and improvements – but Iāve yet to meet any device of artificial intelligence that will fix a door, resurface a road or help a family facing homelessness. Iām incredibly proud that Cork City Council has a manned service centre with real people.
“Answering calls and emails and has not succumbed to the chatbot fad across all customer service sites.ā
There are several different technologies that fall under the umbrella of ‘AI’. Machine learning can use vast quantities of data to make predictions – as when certain websites or apps recommend things based on your browsing habits.
Generative AI meanwhile can be used to produce text and images with minimal human input. Cllr Horgan voiced concerns about the effect of AI-generated content on democracy.
He said: āWeāve seen the videos of Trump, online ads of the Taoiseach and Tanaiste and photos on Facebook during elections and since that donāt quite adhere to reality.
“Itās important that voters have confidence in what is being portrayed of their representatives is actually truthful, and it is something the Electoral Commission needs to seriously tackle, in real time, not post a vote, ahead of the Presidential Election this year.ā
Last month similar concerns were raised over a flood of AI-generated images of Irish politicians online.
Fianna FaĢil’s Malcolm Byrne said as technology becomes more advanced, it can be “more difficult to interpret the difference between reality and a deepfake” as he expressed concerns about the possibility of sophisticated videos being created and shared during voting periods.