Communicating the Future: How to Define Where We Want AI to Take Us

AI Optimism

Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford, shares his optimistic view on AI's role in communication. He believes AI can expose societal issues like bias and unfairness, which were already present but hidden. This exposure allows us to address these problems and improve communication.

If you're worried that a chat GPT type tool can replace you, I think you need to think about, why am I communicating? What am I trying to say? Am I being authentic? Do I have a message? Because really, if those things are true, it shouldn't be a problem.

--- Russ Altman

Altman argues that AI should be seen as a tool to amplify and enhance our messages rather than a threat 1.

   

Practical AI Uses

AI's practical applications in communication are vast, as highlighted by Matt Abrahams. He notes that AI can assist non-native speakers in learning vernacular and alternative expressions, enhancing their communication skills. Altman shares a personal anecdote about using AI to critique his grant proposal, finding it effective as a preliminary editor.

My favorite story, if I may, was I had written a grant proposal, and I ran the one page summary of the grant through the large language model, and I said, please summarize the strengths and weaknesses of this summary of my research that I'm about to submit to the national institutes of Health for for research dollars.

--- Russ Altman

This example illustrates AI's potential to refine and improve communication before human review 2.