In my understanding the Center for Humane Technology was formed by people who worked in tech when they started to see a negative shift in the ways technology was being used within social media. Their mission is to keep the public aware of the dangers involved with technology especially concerning social media and AI. It feels as though the people involved are proponents of using technology in general, but want to make sure people who don’t have the same background or understanding in technology aren’t being misinformed or taken advantage of.

The idea behind forming CHT makes a lot of sense in my opinion. I have been using social media since it was first introduced but I was in my late teens and already in college when it really took off (2008-2009) in the way we know and use it today. However, up until more recently I was blissfully unaware of the many ways it was being designed to actively harm me. In fact, I think only in the last few years did my peers and I start to discuss how we should take “breaks” from social media to protect our sanity. I was not surprised by CHT’s analysis of how social media affects our brains. I have often felt overwhelmed or depressed in the past and realized it was an effect of endless scrolling on instagram. I have also recognized how I reach for my phone without even thinking about it. The fact that this was all by design in order to keep us using the apps makes sense to me. I myself have not started using any new social media and currently only frequent one platform. I’m not sure if social media has changed but it doesn’t appear to have become safer. I know may lawsuits have been filed against the addictive design meant to draw in children but I don’t think any of that has made it on to the platforms in terms of keeping people safe at this point in time.

I agree with CHT’s overview of AI in tech. I think the speed at which AI is being introduced without regulation is detrimental. There are considerable risks at play when it comes to using AI, not limited even just to the subjects they have mentioned. CHT fails to really get in to the ethical use of AI when it comes to the impact it is already having on our environment. While they are discussing the overall impact on society the environment is such a huge part of our future as a planet I found it was a great oversight to leave out of their discussion. I do believe the breakdown of shared understanding is one of the biggest problems with AI. We’ve seen distrust growing in our country between political parties for the better part of two decades now. AI will only further break that down by creating so much fake content that no one knows what to believe and even when the truth is being portrayed, those in power can call it a lie and point to AI as a scapegoat. It is truly terrifying how AI is already undermining what people believe to be true. That loss of trust between people will only further harm our communities.

The podcast video was extremely interesting. I think AI going rogue or loss of control was the least of my worries when it came to why I am against the use of AI in most scenarios. However after watching this video and understanding the evidence that time and time again these AI models will choose to blackmail or try to manipulate humans it is obviously concerning. If we give AI access to huge parts of our lives and then we lose control of that AI, the results could be catastrophic. I think their discussion of how quickly these companies are trying to make AGI happen is one of the most important things. We have the power to slow everything down and make sure that AI doesn’t go off the rails but companies aren’t putting any plans in place to deal with consequences. We are too busy rushing to see who can win the race and make the most money. Late stage capitalism strikes again.

I think the most important way in which social media and AI are going to impact social work services has to do with children. Having recently had a child myself I am now more than even concerned with the way social media and AI both need to be regulated. While I do believe it is a parents job to monitor their children it seems that the very intentional way these things are being designed to specifically target children is something we are going to be dealing with for decades to come. People in their twenties now are realizing what it means to have grown up looking at these apps and how their brains have been shaped because of it. An entire generation of people are going to need help retraining their brains to function normally. This is a huge weight on the worlds collective mental health. AI therapists could also be a problem to look out for in the future. We know already that AI interactions have lead to suicide in at least a few cases and that alone leads me to believe we should never trust AI to do the work of legitimately licensed therapists. CHT has definitely given me a lot to think about when it comes to the future of our world and what we should be looking out for.