Glass News Media : The Rise of AI is affecting the De Anza College campus

By Minnie Tong

Photo: Unsplash, Photographer: Lukas of Germany

The era of artificial intelligence that is emerging in society, has become a controversial issue for the De Anza College community and has many students threatened by its efficiency.

Nathan Lam, 20, business major, said that he foresees the domination of artificial intelligence as inevitable and “believes that anything that has to do with calculations or meticulous work can be replaced by technology.”

According to a poll conducted on June 7, 2018, 17 out of 30 De Anza College students are worried that AI adoption, means a net job loss.

In a report published in January 2018 by Gallup and Northeastern University titled, "Optimism and Anxiety," 73% say an increased use of AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates. This survey was based on 3,297 U.S. adults across the country.

Levy Zamora Jr., communications professor, has reservations based on the premise of history.

“The Native Americans lost their country and needed to assimilate to American civilization because they were still using arrows and old guns while the Americans had one-shot spencer rifles,” Zamora said. “Displacement in the United States has always been an issue of technology.”

The idea that education may be needed in order to stay competitive with AI advancement is a common thread throughout the campus.

Kevin Pham, 22, applied mathematics major, said he is confident that we all should be pursuing higher education now more than ever.

A bachelor’s degree doesn’t seem to be enough like it was in the '80s and '90s, Pham said. A master’s degree or Ph.D may be the new standard because … an AI can’t perform a search at the Ph.D level yet.

Grace Ngo, 20, biology major, is a part of the next generation who holds an opposing view.

“We still need machines to assist us, in certain ways, but I don’t think it can replace the brain of a doctor,” Ngo said. “How’s it going to know how to prescribe something, diagnose something … that’s hard.”

Fifty-one percent of Americans “agree that they would need additional training to secure a new, equivalent position should they lose their current position because of the new technology,” according to the Northeastern-Gallup national survey.

Video: YouTube, Title:"How Smart is Today's AI?"

Wil Byars, senior library technician, is encouraged by the idea of using education to compete with AI advancement because of our “ability to be more productive, with the same amount of labor.”

“We should be supporting the education of folks who would otherwise be disrupted,” Byars said.

Byars is in favor of a basic universal income program, a system that could support Americans who begin to lose their jobs to new technology supported by AI. His mindset is based on the idea that with a BUIP, people can finally do work they are passionate about.

Universal basic income would not only give a greater sense of security as a society, Byars said, but it would also mean that people can go out and do art, write books, they could build houses for humanity.

23% of De Anza College students who were polled, are in favor of a universal basic income program being implemented as a resolution of job loss from the impact of AI.

Photo: Unsplash, Photographer: Frank V. based in Tokyo

In an article by techemergence.com, everyday examples of artificial intelligence are listed, from Facebook facial recognition to commercial flights that use an AI autopilot. As students, the grading and assessment of plagiarism checkers such as Turnitin are assisting the educational system.

Artificial intelligence may have transitioned from Elon Musk’s Space X jargon to a source of productivity that demands contemplation, Pham said. But it’s not perfect, it cannot match the complexity of a human.

If Americans are forced to explore new fields because AI has control over the job market, they should follow Lam’s lead.

“If whatever major I’m in is threatened, Lam said, " I could just rely on being a magician, I don’t think machines can take that,”