Generative AI in Practice

4RISKS AND CHALLENGES TO MANAGE

GenAI presents many a challenge and risk – things like privacy, copyright, over-dependence on AI, deepfakes and misinformation, and more. I could write a whole book on these topics alone, so do keep in mind that this is just a summary of the main issues and risks around GenAI. Food for thought, if you will. If you have concerns about specific issues, do seek advice from a data and AI consultant (in the last chapter, I'll list ways to connect with me).

Also keep in mind that this chapter isn't intended to scare you or put you off using GenAI. But it's important to understand the multifaceted risks. Balancing the benefits and addressing these challenges is crucial for the responsible development and deployment of GenAI technologies.

Ethical and Societal Concerns

Among the many ethical and societal concerns are the propagation of false information and the potential for malicious uses, as well as the risk of us becoming overly dependent on the technology (and thereby losing vital human skills). These are the sorts of issues that can dent trust in technology, and exacerbate existing social divides. Then there's the big nightmare scenario where we lose control of these intelligent machines altogether. You might want to brace yourself for that section…

Potential for misinformation, disinformation, and deepfakes

In 2023, images of explosions near the Pentagon and White House went viral on Twitter. They were soon flagged by experts as fakes generated ...