The AI Paradox: How Our Attitudes to Technology are Evolving
The Rise of AI in Our Lives
This month, artificial intelligence bots have slid into Santa’s grotto. For one thing, AI-enabled gifts are proliferating — as I know myself, having just been given an impressive AI-dictation device. Meanwhile, retailers such as Walmart are offering AI tools to provide frazzled shoppers with holiday help. These AI tools seem to work quite well, judging from recent reviews.
The Paradox of AI: Benefits and Fears
However, here is the paradox: even as AI spreads into our lives, hostility remains sky-high. Earlier this month, a British government survey found that four out of ten people expect AI to deliver benefits. However, three out of ten anticipate significant harm, due to "data security" breaches, "the spread of misinformation" and "job displacement."
Rethinking AI: From "Artificial" to "Augmented" Intelligence
That is no surprise, perhaps. The risks are real and well-advertised. However, as we move into 2025, it is worth pondering three oft-ignored points about the current anthropology of AI that might help to frame this paradox in a more constructive way.
First, we need to rethink which "A" we are using in "AI" today. Yes, machine learning systems are "artificial". However, bots are not always — or not usually — replacing our human brains, as an alternative to flesh-and-blood cognition. Instead, they usually enable us to operate faster and move more effectively through tasks. Shopping is just one case in point. Perhaps we should reframe AI as "augmented" or "accelerated" intelligence — or else "agentic" intelligence, to use the buzzword for what a recent Nvidia blog calls the "next frontier" of AI. This refers to bots that can act as autonomous agents, performing tasks for humans at their command.
The Cultural Frame of AI
Second, we need to think beyond Silicon Valley’s cultural frame. Until now, "anglophone actors" have "dominated the debate" around AI on the world stage, as the academics Stephen Cave and Kanta Dihal note in the introduction to their book, Imagining AI. That reflects US tech dominance. However, other cultures view AI slightly differently. Attitudes in developing countries, say, tend to be far more positive than in developed ones, as James Manyika, co-head of a UN advisory body on AI, and senior Google official, recently told Chatham House.
The Japanese Perspective on AI
Countries such as Japan are different too. Most notably, the Japanese public has long displayed far more positive sentiments towards robots than their anglophone counterparts. And this is now reflected in attitudes around AI systems too. One factor is Japan’s labour shortage (and the fact that many Japanese are wary of having immigrants plug this gap, thus finding it easier to accept robots). Another is popular culture. In the second half of the 20th century, when Hollywood films such as The Terminator or 2001: A Space Odyssey were spreading fear of intelligent machines in anglophone audiences, the Japanese public was mesmerized by the Astro Boy saga, which depicted robots in a benign light.
Conclusion
As we move into 2025, it is clear that our attitudes towards AI will keep subtly shifting as the technology becomes increasingly normalised. That may alarm some, but it may also help us to reframe the tech debate more constructively, and to focus on ensuring that humans control their digital "agents" — not the other way round. Investors today might be dashing into AI, but they need to ask what "A" they want in that AI tag.
FAQs
Q: What is the current state of AI adoption?
A: AI-enabled gifts are proliferating, and retailers are offering AI tools to provide shopping and gifting shortcuts.
Q: What are the concerns around AI?
A: Three out of ten people anticipate significant harm from AI, citing data security breaches, misinformation, and job displacement.
Q: How do different cultures view AI?
A: Attitudes towards AI vary across cultures, with developing countries tend to be more positive, and Japan displaying a more positive sentiment towards robots.
Q: What is the future of AI?
A: As AI becomes increasingly normalised, our attitudes will continue to shift, and it is crucial to focus on ensuring humans control their digital "agents" — not the other way round.
