Over the last couple of years, AI has been a hot topic. There’s been huge debate over how it can be used ethically, whether it’s a convoluted way to plagiarise existing material, and even whether it will replace humans in time. ChatGPT’s conversational AI platform emerged in late 2022, and would change the way we view artificial intelligence in the years following.
When ChatGPT became popular, opinions were very much divided. Some parties celebrated it, whereas others rejected it. We want to take a closer look at some of the psychological reasons behind why some people are likely to dismiss new technology before fully understanding what it can do. It’s brought to light some interesting comparisons, and we think it’s an thought-provoking insight into how some of our brains work.
Why We Don’t Like New Things
There are many psychological reasons why we might be afraid of something new. For starters, humans are creatures of habit. This means we like what we know, and many of us crave stability and routine. Anything which deviates from this routine can be upsetting.
As well as that, trying something new always comes with a risk of failure. If we don’t know how to use something properly, we may not get it right the first time. By sticking to what we already know, we minimise the risk of failure, which makes us feel safer and happier.
However, in many cases the discomfort that comes with trying something new is temporary. That’s why when new technology comes forth can initially come with lots of rejection before it becomes mainstream. Once people work out that the risk is worth the reward, we begin to embrace the change.
Why Do We Reject Technology?
Technologies have developed throughout the years to take some of the pressures out of everyday life. Instead of washing our clothes by hand, we now pop them in the washing machine and press a button. Instead of working out complex calculations in our heads, we simply punch the numbers into a computer and get an accurate answer.
Many people automatically assume that because humans are no longer required to put in as much hard work as before, technology makes us lazy. Laziness is almost always perceived as being a negative trait, which may help to explain the negative reaction new technology tends to have.
However, humans often lose interest or stop doing something if it is difficult to complete. Therefore, technology helps us to finish tasks which may otherwise be abandoned – or never started at all. If technology is the crutch that encourages us to do tasks we may usually ignore, wouldn’t it be making us more proactive, not lazier?
Is Technology A Threat To Humans?
We’re not talking about whether robots are going to rise up and enslave humanity – that’s a completely different debate! This question of whether technology is a threat to humans is aimed at whether our jobs are at stake.
When ChatGPT’s AI platform was released, it was initially feared that content writers would become obsolete. However, instead of being replaced by AI, content writers are using it as an additional tool in their arsenal. Just because software like ChatGPT can write coherent content, that doesn’t mean that skilled writers are no longer needed. In fact, their skills are still very much in demand. Anyone can instruct AI to write content, but not everyone is able to edit and refine the content to achieve a high quality outcome.
Ultimately, generative AI is not really a threat to our jobs. If anything, it’s an asset – and we’re slowly coming to accept this. Although there is still plenty of scepticism, knowing that AI still relies on human input to produce high quality results gives us some comfort that we can live and work together in peace.
Written by Alice Farley
