I didn’t take it seriously enough when a friend in the internet security business told me that AI is reshaping the world and our future. Surely that was an exaggeration. Or so I thought until I was asked to speak about intercultural leadership in the “Age of AI” during a three-day virtual symposium for the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research.
These experts spoke about the positives and negatives of AI in the classroom. It was heartening to hear how AI supports intercultural communication. With AI tools and translations, our upcoming generations are supported in their efforts to understand diverse cultures and efforts to engage. But AI challenges were also discussed, including one of the most concerning issues: the fragmented AI governance.
AI is reshaping our global world, but there are no universal laws governing the use of AI. Ethical standards vary, and so does their implementation. Yes, AI can be used to foster deeper understanding, but it’s also used to deny, distort and trivialize across the social media platforms where young students, and some of us older folks, are constantly engaged.
Alison Vick of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission recently spoke about using AI technology in teaching Holocaust history. Vick, who is the Commission’s History and Program Coordinator, spoke at Chattanooga’s Jewish Federation commemoration of the Holocaust a few days after the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research symposium. It was inspiring to hear how AI can be ethically and effectively deployed in our classrooms. But the presentation concluded with an AI-generated image of Hermione from the Harry Potter series (actress Emma Watson) happily reading Hitler’s book, “Mein Kampf.” And it made me sick to my stomach to learn what students might be exposed to.
We must continue to learn because the “Age of AI” goes far beyond the classroom. That was demonstrated the next day at the annual Project Voice conference. Organized by Bradley Metrock, who has brought Project Voice to Chattanooga several times, the conference focuses on conversational AI, which we know as two-way interactions with online consumer support. A second focus is generative AI (GenAI) which takes existing data and creates new text, audio, videos and images. I held my breath over GenAI, since it generates images like Hermione reading “Mein Kampf.” But it turns out GenAI also generates a voice that listens, understands and interacts with consumers, answering our questions and helping us.