The AIX Factor

Episode 24: AI Just Doesn't Care: a Conversation with I/O Psychologist and Technologist Steve Hunt

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We're joined by I/O psychologist, technologist and author Steve Hunt, whose roots in AI go back to his dad, a psychology professor who did pioneering AI work in his field in the late 50s/early 60s.  While wide-ranging, our conversation focused on the one critical thing that we can do that AI can’t: care.  “Caring…is (defined as) a human giving their time and attention to another human…it is literally an organic process. AI can simulate it, it can act like it. A key part of counseling or coaching is knowing that someone cares about you…and AI can’t do that.”  

Steve and I discuss caring from multiple perspectives: its historic role in facilitating work, its unmeasured value to the economy, what it looks like in today’s workforce, how to measure and monetize it. Other topics we discussed include: 

  • the importance of using the right data in machine learning and the limitations of AI in predicting job performance based on pre-hire data. 
  • concerns about over-reliance on AI (Steve draws an analogy to processed food and AI's potential negative impact on human health and social interaction).
  • the need to rethink the role of work, particularly in service jobs, and to value the skills of those who provide caring services. He pointed out that the quality of services is likely to suffer as technology eliminates people from work. 
  • the potential for a new category of jobs for care workers due to the shift in work dynamics. 

    • Combining a rare psychology and tech/AI background, Steve brings a valuable perspective to the challenges of navigating today's world of AI-augmented work.  

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    The AIX FactorBy The AIX Factor