Letters
Tell us what’s on your mind
When AI cuts jobs, workers will miss ‘drudgery’
I can see how AI will bring long-term benefits to society, but I shudder when I read Microsoft boss Satya Nadella boasting it will end the “drudgery” of work (‘Question of the Fortnight’, Issue 696, pictured). I know he means the boring office tasks nobody wants to do, but drudgery isn’t the way to describe it. That puts a negative spin on work, which is a source of fulfilment in people’s lives.
I always bear in mind the slippery slope argument. Employees might start by introducing AI as a way of reducing drudgery, but it won’t be long until it’s used as a justification to cut jobs. When that happens, those made redundant will soon miss the drudgery of work.
Graham Shepherd
We’ll all be using AI PCs soon
Mal Lewington might not need an AI PC (Letters, Issue 696), but I’m prepared to bet the amount I’ve lost in winter fuel payments that the next computer he buys will be described as one. He’s not wrong to say that most people prefer the ‘small’ benefits of AI, such as upscaling damaged photos or ‘writing’ letters with ChatGPT. But the technology that powers these tasks is the same that will add AI functionality to computers. There’s no real difference. Within a few years even laptops costing less than £500 will be marketed as ‘AI powered’. This technology is now everywhere, and it will improve our lives in ways nobody can predict accurately.
Simon Fuller
Should Kaspersky be punished because of Russia’s actions?