AI: A Double-Edged Sword

By RDG Director of Innovation and Research Doug Radcliff

Mackinac Policy Conference



RDG CEO Clint Nessmith and COO Matt Chambers were pleased to be able to attend the Mackinac Policy Conference the last week of May. If you live in the Chamber world, you likely know that this event, organized by the Detroit Regional Chamber, is one of the most impressive events in the industry. It was a privilege to be a part of it, as well MichAuto on the Island, where we were able to spend the week meeting with many auto sector and auto sector adjacent leaders about the work MichAuto is doing to further elevate its impact on advocacy and workforce related issues for the mobility industry.

AI: A Double-Edged Sword

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed how we live, work, and interact. From virtual assistants and recommendation algorithms to advanced medical diagnostics, AI promises convenience and efficiency. But alongside the benefits, there are serious concerns — some immediate, others long-term — that society must confront.”

The previous paragraph (and title) was a ChatGPT generated response to the prompt, “Write a short blog on the dangers of AI.”

Regarding Chambers and EDOs, ChatGPT claims AI will “transform how they operate, deliver services, attract investment, and support local businesses.” AI will impact business attraction and site selection, marketing and outreach, business retention and expansion, workforce development and talent matching, operational efficiency, policy advocacy and research, and member services and engagement. Many of these areas could be positively impacted by AI if incorporated in the correct manner. However, Chambers and EDOs do face potential risks, such as a loss of human-centered engagement, bias and inequality in decision-making, job displacement, data privacy and security risks, dependence on inaccurate or incomplete data, erosion of institutional knowledge, digital divide and accessibility barriers, reputation and trust risks, over reliance on tech vendors, and legal and compliance risks.

Personally, I am not against AI; however, I do have what I believe is a rational fear of its implications. Does AI have the potential to lead to extraordinary technological advances benefiting all of humankind? Definitely. However, it also has the ability to do the opposite. As AI becomes more embedded in our daily lives, it is important to rationally analyze the potential dangers. Forbes lists 15 potential risks, however I will only dive into a few which I believe are particularly salient to chambers and EDOs. 

Job Displacement and Economic Inequality: AI could lead to job displacement and losses across numerous industries. There is the potential for AI to displace up to 800 million jobs globally, by 2030, with estimates claiming 40% of jobs are at risk due to AI. People have proposed taxing AI employees to counterbalance the economic effect; using the taxes to, for example, retrain displaced workers, fund social programs, create new jobs, or even to fund Universal Basic Income for displaced workers.  

Bias and Discrimination: Societal biases due to AI algorithmic design or biased training data could be perpetuated. AI is only as ethical as its creators, and only as good as the props we give it. Biased training data or bad initial information will lead to biased and misleading results. 

Loss of Human Connection: It is estimated “that AI will cause ‘mostly negative’ changes to 12 human traits…including social and emotional intelligence, capacity and willingness to think deeply, empathy, and application of moral judgment and mental well-being.”

Misinformation and manipulation: AI has the potential to create falsified information; from deepfakes, to fake news and information. According to NewsGuard, there are 1,271 (and counting) AI-generated websites. These websites have minimal (sometimes zero) human oversight. Discussing all sorts of topics, AI-generated websites have become harder to recognize and are central in the spread of misinformation. 

Unintended Consequences: These could be any variety of things. For example, increased criminal activity due to asking AI for advice on how to commit certain crimes. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “AI technology…are enabling criminal actors to pursue a wide range of crimes faster and more efficiently, and empowering less-skilled criminals by filling knowledge gaps.”

“AI is not inherently dangerous — but how we design, deploy, and regulate it makes all the difference. Recognizing the risks today allows us to shape a future where AI serves humanity, rather than undermines it. Responsible innovation, transparency, and ethical oversight are not optional — they’re essential.” - ChatGPT 

I find the conclusion to ChatGPT’s AI blog quite interesting. The prompt was to write a blog on the dangers, which I felt was introduced quite well. However, the conclusion does not seem to be very subjective. AI does recognize the dangers it could cause, yet it concludes the blog in a very positive manner (even though the prompt was negative). I was once told that not taking advantage of AI is equivalent to having the calculator and not using it. It is a tool that can make our life easier. I recognize that AI is not perfect and that the best is yet to come. However, in my opinion, the consequences of this tool must be better researched and understood before it becomes fully mainstream.