Do you trust AI-enhanced Apps? With AI apps on the rise, we’ve got to tread carefully between loving the convenience and watching out for slip-ups, like those not-so-edible mushrooms. #AI #TechSafety [A Quick Thought Of] Weekly Future insights and strategic inspirations.
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The Crazy Rising “AI” Labeled Apps
The crazy rise in “AI” labeled apps on the App Store, growing by 1,033% since 2020, according to Vantage market data, reflects AI’s burgeoning impact, with its annual revenue in 2022 tripling that of 2020 to $25 billion. This growth trajectory seems interlinked with the AI enthusiasm sparked by ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022.
The Risks of “AI” Apps
AI’s application spans various domains, including aiding in the identification of edible wild mushrooms, a task met with increasing trust from users. However, this trust may sometimes be misplaced. A poignant example is William D. Hickman from Ohio, who, relying on an AI app and his family’s mushroom foraging legacy, mistakenly consumed a poisonous mushroom, leading to severe poisoning.
Rick Van de Poll, a lecturer in mycology, said, “Even experts have a hard time visually distinguishing poisonous substances from edibles. Distinguishing them requires not only color and shape but sometimes the sense of smell and even a microscope to ensure that They are safe.” What’s more, what about AI? The information given by just a picture uploaded by a mobile phone should not be trustworthy.
In 2022, Australian researchers scrutinized three AI-driven apps for wild mushroom identification, finding their accuracy in pinpointing poisonous varieties hovered around 50%, with the highest success rate at 67%. Moreover, even with advancements like OpenAI’s GPT store enabling custom chatbots, ChatGPT still falls short in accurate mushroom identification.
“AI” Books Giving Wrongly Information
The proliferation of AI-generated content extends beyond apps to Amazon’s shelves, with titles such as “How to Cook Poisonous Mushrooms” emerging without clear disclaimers of their AI-generated origins. The New York Mycological Society’s warnings on social media about dubious foraging guides underscore the potential dangers of indistinctive descriptions leading to hazardous misidentifications. This highlights the broader challenge of distinguishing between human and AI-generated content, as noted by Sigrid Jakob, president of the society.
Conclusion
While AI holds the promise to augment human capabilities, its current application without the nuance of human wisdom and accountability reveals our vulnerability to misinformation in this era of AI proliferation. The reliance on AI, especially when motivated by profit maximization, necessitates a responsible approach from both developers and users to mitigate the risks associated with AI-generated content.
Extended Reading Links
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/29/health/mushrooms-poisoning-foraging/index.html