What you need to know about living with AI
By Mariah Rawding
Artificial intelligence is already having a profound impact on our present as many Americans interact with AI on a daily basis. But the transformational potential of this technology — from generative AI, exemplified by the rise of tools like ChatGPT, to social robots like Jibo — will change our future in unpredictable ways.
MIT Professor Cynthia Breazeal, director of the MIT RAISE Initiative, founder and director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, and dean for digital learning at MIT Open Learning, spoke about the impact of living with AI, social robots, and more in a recent webinar, Living with AI: An Entrepreneurial Journey in AI & Robotics.
A trailblazer in the field of social robotics, Breazeal founded Jibo, a social robot and in 2017 was the first technology since the iPhone to be featured on the cover of TIME. Throughout her career, both in industry and academia, she has been deeply immersed in the world of AI and technology. During the webinar, she spoke candidly about how artificial intelligence has evolved and impacted our lives, and she offered a glimpse into the future of living with AI.
Below are the key insights on living with AI from Breazeal’s webinar with MIT Bootcamps, part of MIT Open Learning.
#1: Responsible design is critical
Breazeal emphasized the need for ethical design in AI. Design has become increasingly important as technology has shifted from transactional interactions — such as asking a smart device to set a timer — to more social interactions with personified AI agents, where we build rapport and deepen our relationship with the device. While Breazeal highlighted that personalization enhances engagement and learning with AI, ethical and responsible design remain a core component of both social robots and AI systems. Particularly when the technology is socially persuasive and emotionally engaging in an interpersonal way.
“Now, we are at this time when we talk about responsible, ethical design of these technologies. So, we have been starting to advance new social justice design frameworks applied to artificial intelligence and robotics where we are making sure the main users and stakeholders have a voice in the design of these systems as we are creating and iterating them. [It] has become an important aspect as well. All of these are active areas of research for us and leading us to increasingly effective and increasingly capable social robot technologies.”
— Cynthia Breazeal
#2: AI is a tool to enhance the human experience
AI has capabilities beyond some of our wildest imaginations, but some of its most impactful solutions are rooted in improving everyday life. Breazeal showed how AI is a tool used to enhance the human experience, not replace it. It can support mental health, improve well-being, and enhance student experiences through a variety of tools, including companion-like social robots.
An open response during the webinar from a participant about Jibo’s positive psychology coaching intervention highlighted the impacts social robots, like Jibo, can have. “It’s hard for me to love myself, and this has helped me make it easier,” said the participant who has used Jibo. “There are a lot of things I would change if I could, but now I am embracing who I am. So I thank you for that, Jibo.”
#3: AI can augment and bridge gaps in sectors with fewer resources
Looking to the future, Breazeal highlighted three sectors where AI has the potential to create the most impact: education, health care, and aging. These sectors are known not only for global labor shortages but also for often having limited financial resources. She emphasized that these areas require more than just transactional technologies, defined as technologies that give access to information, services, and networks. Instead, they need AI tools that create a humanistic experience as a “helpful companion” designed to augment and enhance human professionalism.
Research from the Personal Robots Group at the Media Lab demonstrates how these “helpful companion” AI tools can have meaningful impacts on the people who use them.
“The big opportunities [for AI] are aging, health and wellness, and education. The reality is we don’t have enough human professionals to meet the human demand, so we need a different technology to bridge that gap.”
— Cynthia Breazeal
As we continue to live with AI, Breazeal’s insights highlight that the design of AI tools needs to be thoughtful and responsible and humans should continue to focus on how AI can complement human efforts, particularly in areas where we need it most. She emphasized that by enhancing our daily experiences and filling gaps in critical sectors, AI has the power to shape a more equitable and supportive future.
What you need to know about living with AI was originally published in MIT Open Learning on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.