ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION AND PLANNING FOR THE IMPACT

OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Jonathan Limon
BIS 340: Artificial Intelligence: The Human Side
Bill Erwin
04/19/2021

Total Word Count: 1957 words

 PART TWO: COURSE PROJECT:
“ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION, AND PLANNING FOR THE IMPACT OF AI”

Addressing the Economic/Political AI Issues

My Organization Plan

As talked about in my first paper of the course project regarding economic and political

issues of AI, we identified some of the negative impacts AI can have on our society. Just to

review the issues we went over briefly, we identified a higher unemployment rate with middle

aged men, most with only a high school diploma or uneducated. We have seen it happen when

AI hit manufacturing companies and it will happen again and continue as we progress in further

AI development. Regarding drivers, we will have an estimated 3-5 million jobs lost. Knowing

these statistics, we can act proactively and input our plan into action now.

Most of these people will not have no college degree or further education. Since many

have depended on this industry as well for years as a stable job, their skill set will be limited. By

using the plans presented by Kai Fu Lee and Andrew Yang in their books, implementing the

three R’s can help reduce the amount of people not returning to the workforce.

The three R’s are reduce, retrain and redistribute. The strategy used with this method

helps provide retraining programs for these men being displaced. Providing retraining programs

helps provide needed skills to this group of people so they may return with confidence to

industries that are still needed. Reducing the work hours for individuals will help boost moral,

allowing them to invest time in entrepreneurial ventures or focus on new career opportunities.
With less hours for everyone it allows more positions to open up, considering everyone is under

25 hours, for example, it allows for more people to work for a company.

Another solution that will work hand in hand with the Three R’s method is providing

what’s known as universal basic income, or UBI. What universal basic income is where every

American adult receives a payment of $1000 per month, tax free. This would annually provide

every American citizen $12,000 guaranteed income a year. Also known as the “Freedom

Dividend”, it puts the people just above the poverty level. The UBI will play a big part in

securing our economy, providing an income people can rely on to cover their basic needs. Most

americans who are looking to better their lives will not settle with $12,000 annually as it is

barely enough to scrape by.

My Personal Plan

As I currently work as a self employed contractor, it is visibly clear that the development

in AI will impact my way of life and work. When reading about just how far out we are from

arriving at successfully delivering self driving cars it makes sense for me to believe that my flow

of income will highly be affected. Currently, I am a driver for Uber and Lyft. I have been a driver

for both rideshare companies for over 4 years now. I remember seeing self driving uber vehicles

while driving around the valley, and it is definitely interesting to witness the development.

I can admit I didn’t give it much thought, especially clarifying the way the text books did.

I have considered to stop driving as well in the next couple years as I feel this is a job that

cannot sustain me my livelihood forever. Given the knowledge I have now with the

developments of AI, I feel it is time to begin making my plan into keeping up with a developing

economy. What I am doing currently is attending school at ASU, aiming to complete my

bachelors in Organizational Leadership. I am able to do this because Uber is paying my tuition

as long as I work for them while going to school. The opportunity definitely seemed well worthy

as I would further develop my business and leadership skills.

Earlier in my project, I mentioned and went over the Three R’s, reduce, retrain, and

redistribute. When thinking of good examples of what this means in our current time I feel as if

Uber as a company is already a step ahead of the plan. I believe this because when it comes to

reduce, as an uber driver you tend to make more now than you did two years ago. The

company has added bonus incentives as in making more money for rides given or completed.

The opportunity of attending a university paid for by the company is an example of retraining,

as drivers can go to school or send a family member to school. They also give you the chance of

redistribution as there is a need for current drivers and having less on the road because they

make more money in less time now.

Addressing the Sociological AI Issues

My Organization Plan

With so much change happening in the world all at once we have to expect a change in

the market with the amount of people becoming unemployed. We are already estimating

numbers of 3.5 million jobs lost in just the driving industry. Truck driver is a popular job market

over 29 states (Yang, pg. 43). Everything from semitrucks, uber drivers, taxis, bus drivers, food

delivery drivers, etc. will be replaced. With most jobs getting replaced are autonomous jobs, it

affects a lot of lower income people who are uneducated men and woman and will be feeling

the impact first.

 Providing job training and UBI payments to individuals we are certain were directly

impacted by the replacement of AI can feel more secure knowing they have something to fall

back on and can focus on more meaningful careers where human interaction is still needed.

This will help cut the amount of people who are most likely to not return to the workforce.

There have been critics who dispute the freedom dividend, claiming it will only cause people to

not want to work. But that’s not likely the case. A father who is supporting his wife and two

children cannot survive off $1,000 a month, let alone $2,000 for him and his wife. One is still

needing to go to work in order to provide more than they can consume with that amount of

people.

My Personal Plan

As the world continues to move towards the second phase of AI, I have thought to

myself and always question how exactly this will impact me and many Americans. As a UBI

currently does not exist, the best thing to do now is just to save whatever excess amount I can

make that is manageable to save for future emergencies. One interesting fact I read from

Yang’s text book is how he points out how almost half of Americans are not financially prepared

for a $500 emergency. This should raise a red flag for people and motivate them in starting a

cash savings or investment account. I know it does for me. apart from this, investing my

working hours into a new career will help me in developing a promising future. As I am in this

school and uber driving phase of my life right now, I plan to build my career in real estate so I

may transition smoothly over once I am completed with my school. This will allow me to not

only plan my future, but ensure I enter a new job industry where automation is not a threat
soon and take action. A proactive approach is always more promising then reacting to the job

loss and desperately trying to accustom a new way of living.

Addressing the Psychological AI Issues

My Organization Plan

With so many individuals becoming unemployed due to AI, we must not forget the

impact this can psychologically have on humans. Many Americans are already using drugs to

deal with mental illnesses such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and drug abuse. As Americans

lose their jobs and are not able to return to the workforce due to their lack of skills it can

mentally knock down their confidence and self-esteem, leading them down paths like

depression and anxiety. Many American couples constantly argue over money, which can set

lots of tension in homes. This creates abusive situations for children, who are also victims to AI

indirectly.

A parent who feels they can not provide can bring a toll against his household. Providing

mental support and coaching can assist people in building themselves up and helping them

remain clear of any mental illness. As AI develops, we can further learn to use this technology

now in helping identify issues with mental illness among individuals. Ai has already been

involved with monitoring therapy sessions, helping identify crucial points and identifying what

works and doesn’t. We should learn not to see AI as evil that is taking over our society, but

learn how AI can enrich our lives. Human flourishing and relationship building will allow us to

help mentally ill people or anyone dealing with any type of anxiety. As AI becomes better at

identifying these symptoms, we will learn how to better treat them and help prevent them.
My Personal Plan
Knowing the risk of falling into this kind of cycle, I want to assure to stay clear of risking

the chance of not progressing further. I feel I can identify at times when anxiety seems to pick

up and practice different meditating techniques. I believe that fitness also helps boost your

confidence and energy levels, helping me in keeping a more positive attitude. Reading lots of

informational material and books on self development seem to be a big help in what I can plan

to do for myself. I know that changing job industries can take a mental toll on someone and

sometimes nerve wrecking but learning how to cope with these emotions can ensure that I

allow myself to be open to new ideas and develop traits like better self security. It’s better to

plan ahead and expect the unexpected then wait to see what changes this will have on our

economy and our livelihood.

Conclusion

After being provided examples and solutions that have proven to work, would you not

agree that the time to start implementing these methods into the new world should be now? If

we observe what has happened in our past and the trends from other countries, which the U.S.

is one of the last developed countries to still have their citizens in high debts due to pharma

and school debt. Many people who remain uninsured are scared to go to hospitals or doctors as

they are most of the time left facing a bill of a couple thousand dollars for one trip to the

emergency room. Those who pursued college degrees are now paying back all their debt over

the course of their life because they can not afford it.

A UBI helps puts these people’s minds at ease, creating a security blanket where they

can expect some time of money to come in to help knock off these debts. I know if I had a

payment such as a freedom dividend, I would find myself trying to progress ahead. Our
economy is shifting and we need to get everyone in full support of what is to happen and help

get these things done to further help our economy and people. A lot of testing and research has

been put into play through trials, where citizens of certain cities received UBI’s and assistance I

previously mentioned earlier. Their statistics show much lower cases of abuse, neglect, and job

loss. With so much evidence there now, we must act as a country and bring onboard everyone

we can. Providing the people with the awareness of AI and how it can impact and improve our

lives is something we should all be talking about.

 References

Lee, K. (2018) AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.

Yang, A. (2018) The War on Normal People.