Artificial intelligence, which has generated fears of harms and dangers ranging from job losses to human extinction, drew multiple protests at The AI Conference in San Francisco on September 17. The AI Conference was established to “embrace the potent capability of AI to revolutionize every facet of human existence,” according to the conference website.
One group, called Stop AI, distributed flyers warning of AI dangers that stretched beyond stealing jobs and stealing data to accelerating climate collapse and human extinction. The group of roughly eight protesters iwere outside the conference hall, at San Francisco’s Pier 48, with a megaphone and at least one protestor wearing a “Stop AI” t-shirt. At least one small argument broke out between the protestors and an attendee standing on the admission line. Stop AI wants governments to permanently ban the development of smarter-than-human AI, also known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), according to the Stop AI Proposal posted at the organization’s website.
Another group of protesters, consisting of approximately 20 Uber and Lyft rideshare drivers and members of the Gig Workers Union, said AI was making it harder for drivers and other workers to earn money. A switch to AI-powered pay by Uber in 2022 caused drivers who declined low-paying jobs to see ride volume drop, according to a paper the group handed out at the event. The group also blame the Uber app for slowing down rides, resulting in drivers falling short of daily earnings expectations. The protestors carried a sign saying, “Uber: End AI Wages.” The protestors want technology to work with them, not against them, seeking transparency in how AI systems affect pay and working conditions, along with human appeal processes when AI systems make decisions about jobs. A spokesman for the group, Neil Martin, tech justice coordinator at Working Partnerships USA, said the group was concerned about how AI is starting to replace jobs and affect existing jobs.
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