The rise of AI has brought many advantages as well as disadvantages to the table. A prime example of the latter is the manner in which it aided malicious actors in the creation of misinformation. According to a report released by the World Economic Forum, this AI powered misinformation is arguably the most significant threat that the world is facing in the short term.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this Global Risks Report has highlighted environmental concerns as the biggest long term threats. In spite of the fact that this is the case, misinformation is the most significant risk over the next two years.
This data comes from a survey of 1,500 decision makers, policy experts and industry titans, and they all seem to agree that misinformation as well as disinformation will be major concerns with all things having been considered and taken into account. Extreme weather events came in second, followed by an increase in social polarization.
As for risks that will become apparent over a ten year period, extreme weather events topped the list because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up bringing society to a standstill. The top four long term issues were all related to the environment. Extreme weather events were followed by critical changes to global ecosystems, a collapse in biodiversity as well as shortages in essential resources procured from the natural environment.
2024 will be a litmus test for the Age of AI, with a number of major elections taking place. The US will decide its next president, and there’s a high level of likelihood that Donald Trump may very well return to the White House. The UK, India, Pakistan and Indonesia are also heading to the polls, and AI might make it harder to separate truth from falsehood than might have been the case otherwise. It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since the results of these elections will have long term consequences.
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