The big thing about AI, to me, isn’t so much the supposed 10 percent chance that it will kill us all by the end of the decade, as it is the 90 percent chance that the oligarchs haven’t thought through that it will take all of our jobs, and how we’re supposed to make ends meet thereafter.
This seems like a political issue ripe for the picking.
Beth Macy, the Democratic nominee in the Sixth District congressional race, is daring to tap into the pent-up energy, with a town hall on the topic of “AI and the Workforce” on her schedule for Sunday, Oct. 4, at Ciders from Mars, 113 W. Beverley St., Downtown Staunton, from 6-8 p.m.
“Artificial intelligence threatens our economy, jobs and even our national security,” Macy said, in a statement from a release sent out by her campaign about the event.
“Goldman Sachs, a friend of Big Tech, estimates AI is currently eliminating 16,000 jobs a month,” Macy said. “A year ago, Goldman Sachs predicted AI would displace 6 percent of the workforce. That figure is now up to 9 percent, a total of nearly 15 million workers.”
Editorial comment: which seems low.
“I don’t trust a bunch of billionaires who want to be trillionaires to have Americans’ best interests in mind. We must contain AI before it controls us,” Macy said.
Panelists for “AI and the Workforce” include:
- Jeff Pierson, professor of communication studies at Bridgewater College, who will be teaching a course on AI Literacy-Communication Technologies in the spring and is developing a textbook tentatively titled From Print to Prompt: AI Literacy in Context. Pierson holds degrees from NC State, Temple and Rutgers.
- Afzal Upal, a computer scientist and professor at James Madison University, whose research focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning. A former federal defense R&D official, Upal has more than 25 years of experience spanning software industry, government research and higher education, including developing programs that connect emerging technologies with education and workforce needs.
- Mark Lee, vice president of engineering at Magnite, a leading independent programmatic advertising company, following the acquisition of his previous company, Carbon AI LTD.
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Chris Graham
