For my first stage of research into my inquiry about the shifting tides of digital literacy I wanted to explore the recent emergence of AI, and analyze whether the movement represents clever marketing or an actual improvement/change in technology. I started by examining the basic landmarks of success: market revenue and general popularity. With a growth rate of 19% and a 2024 global worth of 454.12 billion dollars it’s clear the tech has commercial value. A survey in the same year claims 56% of Americans and 46% of Canadians regularly interact with AI12. It’s inarguable that the artificial intelligence phenomenon has become widespread. But has it made strides over current gen technology with similar objectives?

Award winning tech journalist Lance Ulanoff wrote an article about a popular sentiment on the internet: the idea that search AI is actively making search engines worse3. Beyond simply wrong results, the theme of the article discusses the idea that the recent AI boom is centered more on visual flair and showing off rather than radical technological advancement. Highlighting an AI overview at the top of a Google search result isn’t to provide more accurate information, it’s to show front and centre the new shiny tool. An MIT technology review article lists some of the known issues with AI tools, including objectifying women’s bodies and dystopian surveillance state “smart cities”4. These facts all point to the conclusion that AI is not the mass improvement tool common sentiment believes it to be. With misinformation being commonplace and answers skewed towards specific viewpoints or motivations, being a digital citizen has become much more difficult.

Bibliography

Aiprm. (2024, January 11). AI Statistics 2024. AIPRM.

https://www.aiprm.com/ai-statistics/

Generative AI use surges in workplaces. (2024, November 28). KPMG. 

https://kpmg.com/ca/en/home/media/press-releases/2024/11/gen-ai-surges-in-workplaces-posing-risks-to-employers.html#:~:text=Nearly%20half%20(46%20per%20cent,growth%20rate%20since%20November%202023.

Ulanoff, L. (2024, June 3). I’ve been using Google Search for 25 years and AI overview is the one thing that could ruin it for me. TechRadar.

https://www.techradar.com/computing/search-engines/ive-been-using-google-search-for-25-years-and-ai-overview-is-the-one-thing-that-could-ruin-it-for-me

Heikkilä, M. (2023, March 3). Why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines. MIT Technology Review.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/14/1068498/why-you-shouldnt-trust-ai-search-engines/

  1. Aiprm. (2024, January 11). AI Statistics 2024. AIPRM ↩︎
  2. Generative AI use surges in workplaces. (2024, November 28). KPMG.  ↩︎
  3. Ulanoff, L. (2024, June 3). I’ve been using Google Search for 25 years and AI overview is the one thing that could ruin it for me. TechRadar. ↩︎
  4. Heikkilä, M. (2023, March 3). Why you shouldn’t trust AI search engines. ↩︎