Opinion: AI - Good or Evil? Useful or Dangerous?

By Tim Gamble

   Between Shadows and Light.

Some people, perhaps triggered by conspiracy theories and Terminator movies, believe that AI is inherently evil and dangerous, and therefore should not be developed or used. 

 

Personally, I believe that AI is just a tool, same as a hammer or any other tool. It is neither good nor evil in and of itself. Rather, it is morally neutral. What makes it good or evil is in how it is used; the intent of the user. 

 

Like any tool, AI can be misused, on purpose or unintentionally. After all, a hammer can be used to build a house, or to bash someone's brains in. The fact that some psycho chooses to use a hammer to commit murder doesn't mean that the hammer is evil. Just because AI could be misused, and probably will be, doesn't mean that it is evil. 

 

Let's be very clear: Skynet and Terminators are firmly in the realm of science fiction, and likely will remain so for decades, at least. It is entirely possible that true AI sentients (self-aware consciousness) is something that may never come to be. However, misuse and abuse of AI systems by governments, corporations, and even individuals is a very clear and present danger.

 

Just like a hammer, AI can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. 

Potential Benefits of AI:

• Enhanced productivity
• More efficiently doing boring or repetitive tasks
• More safely doing dangerous jobs
• Solving extremely complex problems

Potential Drawbacks of AI:

• Loss of Privacy
• Abuse by government to surveille, manipulate and control the populace
• Abuse by corporations to unduly influence and manipulate the public
• Direct harm to people from misused, untested, or poorly-designed tech

Please read my article Understanding the Threats: Technocracy (article link) for more on these very real threats.

 

The responsibility falls on the developers and the users of AI to ensure that it is developed and used responsibly. This includes creating frameworks for ethical AI development, including transparency, open audits, safety checks, and accountability. Public awareness campaigns, cybersecurity measures, and data privacy should also be part of the AI landscape. 

 

How I Use AI 

I do use AI to assist me in a number of ways:

• To aid in research
• To aid in editing (spelling, grammar, consistency)
• To improve formatting 
• To fact-check articles 

Additionally, I have posted a few articles created entirely by AI, always clearly labeled as such. However, the vast majority of my articles are written by me. You may be interested in reading my AI policy which I posted on January 4, 2025.

 

Text Message Format

I did take the idea for formatting articles in what I call "text message" format from the Grok AI. It is a concept also called "formatting for speed reading."  It forgoes the traditional paragraph format in favor of breaking articles into much smaller chunks using headings, sub-headings, and bullet points. 

This allows the reader to consume the article as if it was a series of text messages, which is how most people consume information in today's digital world. This is especially true for the under 40 demographic. 

Please see my article Digital Age: Brain Development and Cognitive Function (article link) for more on appealing to a younger and broader audience, which is a goal of mine in 2025. 

Please Share Your Thoughts

Navigating the AI landscape is a learning curve for most of us. I am very interested in my readers' thoughts and concerns on the matter. What are your concerns? What do you think of the new formatting inspired by AI? Do you prefer articles in traditional paragraph form? Are you okay with a mix of text-format and traditional paragraph articles?  Please leave your remarks in the comments section below. Thank you!