751 人工智能帶來社會的挑戰

自從2022年底Open AI推出ChatGPT把人工智能引入這個世界, 我們見到短短不到四年, 人類社會已即時進入一個新紀元。各有特色的不同人工智能系統, 為個人生活提供了極多的可能性。歡欣機構自去年中開始構思, 在社區生活中推廣人工智能的使甪, 今年初我們開始了給銀髮族的介紹使用人工智能課程, 在不到三個月的班中, 已訓練了超過35名長者, 在六月我們會再推出普通話的課程。我注意到參加者都很重視這課程, 在四堂課之中, 沒有任何人缺課, 可見大家都知道人工智能, 帶來生活的幫助。

人工智能更改變了工作的模式。專家們相信人工智能不會完全取代大部份人的工作, 但職場上工作的模式肯定會有極大的變化, 因此大家都在競賽如何在有效地在工作用使用人工智能外, 更重視員工的培訓。初進職場的一代, 要自行摸索新的工作規範, 而有經驗的工作者, 卻要面對人工智能帶來的爆炸性革新。就以《同路人 》為例, 我們過去兩年, 不少同事都要面對進修來跟上各樣的轉變。也為這些改變, 《同路人》今天已變成同平台, 每天提供網絡多媒體新聞評論及互相補足的實體雙週刊。很快, 我們會再推出網絡的社區新聞及消息, 更全面有效地服務華人社群。

不過, 人工智能的使用, 在過去個多月, 響起了警號。在中國的「養龍蝦」熱潮, 讓人見到沒有好好管理人工智能, 可以為社會帶來極大失控。中國政府大力鎮壓這股熱潮及西方政府嚴格禁止在工作崗位使用, 就表明問題的嚴重性。而在兩週前泄露出來Anthropic 的Mythos很可能成為國家安全的威脅, 甚至帶來全球金融系統的崩潰,更使它成為各個國家在人工智能發展競賽的新賽程。

澳洲社會一向強調職業培訓在參與各行各業的必要性, 因此新移民往往要有進修才能把技術轉移而澳洲工作環境。現時數以千計全國認可的培訓課程的設計, 都是工作崗位上未曾大幅使用人工智能的情境。以現時人工智能應用對工作環境改變的速度, 絕大部份的培訓課程都需要大幅度修訂, 才能追得上社會的轉變, 新移民在職場進修將面對更多的挑戰, 這是聯邦及州政府所不能忽略的。

周偉文 社長

The Social Challenges Brought by Artificial Intelligence 

Since the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI at the end of 2022, artificial intelligence has been introduced into the world on an unprecedented scale. In less than four years, human society has rapidly entered a new era. A wide range of AI systems, each with its own unique features, has opened up vast possibilities for individual lives.

Since mid-last year, REJOICE has been planning to promote the use of AI in community life. At the beginning of this year, we launched introductory AI courses for senior citizens. In less than three months, more than 35 elderly participants have been trained. In June, we will introduce a Mandarin-language course as well. I have noticed that participants take these classes very seriously—across four sessions, not a single person missed a class. This clearly shows that everyone recognizes the benefits AI can bring to daily life.

Artificial intelligence is also transforming the way we work. Experts believe that AI will not completely replace most jobs, but work patterns will undoubtedly undergo significant changes. As a result, there is growing urge in more effectively integration of AI into the workplace, alongside increased emphasis on employee training. New entrants to the workforce must explore and adapt to new norms, while experienced workers are confronted with the explosive innovations brought by AI.

Take Sameway as an example: over the past two years, many of our colleagues have had to pursue further education to keep up with these changes. In response, Sameway has evolved into a unified platform that provides daily online multimedia news commentary alongside a complementary biweekly print publication. Soon, we will also launch online community news and updates to serve the Chinese community more broadly and effectively.

However, the use of AI has raised alarm bells over the past month. The “crayfish farming” craze in China has demonstrated how poorly managed AI can lead to serious social disruption. The Chinese government’s strong crackdown on this trend, along with strict bans by Western governments on AI use in certain workplaces, highlights the severity of the issue. Furthermore, the leak of Anthropic’s Mythos two weeks ago may pose a national security threat and could even trigger a collapse of the global financial system, intensifying international competition in AI development.

Australian society has long emphasized the importance of vocational training for participation in various industries. As a result, new immigrants often need further education to employ their skills in the Australian work environment context. Currently, thousands of nationally recognized training programs are designed for workplaces where AI has not yet been widely adopted. Given the rapid pace at which AI is transforming work environments, most of these training programs require substantial revision to keep up with societal changes. New immigrants will face even greater challenges in workplace training, and this is an issue that both federal and state governments cannot afford to overlook.

Mr. Raymond Chow, Publisher