Religion of the Present: Why do so many people meet AI with blind trust?
The article discusses the paradox of people's blind trust in artificial intelligence despite its identified shortcomings and errors.
The article examines the growing phenomenon of blind faith in artificial intelligence (AI) amidst its well-documented failures, particularly in the context of AI chatbots that frequently falter in answering knowledge-based questions. It draws a parallel between the fervent praise often heaped on AI by rational individuals and the fervor exhibited by religious adherents, questioning why rationality seems to falter in the face of technological advancement.
It highlights the cognitive dissonance prevalent in discussions about AI, where continuous claims about its improving capabilities clash with the daily revelations of significant errors generated by these systems. The narrative points to a widespread prevalence of misinformation permeating society, complicating the ability of the general public to discern the truth without expert knowledge, and raising serious implications for misinformation within critical fields such as healthcare.
The article also references a recent incident where Google had to retract AI-generated summaries regarding liver function tests due to their inaccuracies. Experts voiced concerns over the potential health risks posed by such misinformation, underscoring the urgency of addressing the reliability of AI outputs to prevent trust from turning blind and dangerously misplaced.