As artificial intelligence becomes more available, panelists at the Build American AI forum said their biggest concern is that the technology will fall short if students and workers don’t understand how to use it responsibly.
Advocates at the Tampa forum argued that educators should embrace AI literacy, teaching students how to use the technology effectively without becoming overly dependent on it. Adam Basford, Vice President of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Florida, said his concerns about artificial intelligence center on literacy and the continued need for human judgment.
Basford, who has children in high school and college, said AI training should become part of education in much the same way schools taught students to use the internet and common workplace software.
“I see it in my profession, people utilizing AI in a dumb way. There has to be that human interaction there, so I think that’s why workforce education includes AI tools, AI training at the earliest levels of education,” Basford said. “Just like we taught kids how to use the internet, just like we’ve taught them to use an excel spreadsheet. I think AI is an incredible tool, but the literacy has to be there.”
Nathan Leamer, Director of Build American AI, similarly argued that the technology presents an opportunity to rethink how children learn. Rather than preparing students only to repeat information that software can quickly retrieve or generate, schools could place greater emphasis on independent learning, judgment and problem-solving, he said.
“I am worried that we will take the path of least resistance, and not think through the fact that we can actually have a nation of builders, we can rethink the way that we get our entitlements, we can rethink the way we do our national debt, we can rethink education in the future to empower children to be independent learners and problem solvers,” Leamer said. “That’s actually my biggest concern, that we will miss this opportunity to get our house in order.”
In general, various panelists who spoke at the forum largely argued that access to AI will not automatically translate into productive use.
Prasad Chittaluru, CEO of EPIC Engineering & Consulting Group, warned that the same tools that give workers and businesses new capabilities can also strengthen scammers, hackers and other malicious actors. He argued regulators will need to find a way to foster positive use, while cracking down on heightened concerns about improper use. He argues concern about bad actors is the very reason governments should invest heavily in AI.
“What I’m afraid of is how much power this gives the bad actors,” Chittaluru said. “How they can take down our systems and steal our data. As a small business, we have zero power to stop those bad actors. So what I would like to see is the people who have the power and capability in government to figure out a way to track those bad actors and bring the hammer down fast.”
Chittaluru compared AI’s potential power to nuclear technology and argued that the United States must remain strong enough in the field to counter those who would misuse it, not shy away from it.
“It’s almost like nuclear energy,” he said. “We need to be the most powerful AI country in the world. That way, we can prevent the bad actors or we can counter the bad actors.”
The forum was hosted by Tampa marketing agency Bake More Pies. Its founder and CEO, Cordes Owen, said successful adoption will require businesses to train employees and involve them in decisions about how the technology is deployed.
Owen said many organizations begin with a general instruction from leadership to “start using AI,” without first determining which problems they are trying to solve or whether employees understand and support the project.
Owen argued employees are more likely to support systems they had a role in shaping. Involving workers in identifying repetitive tasks and potential uses can reduce fear while helping companies find applications that address actual workplace needs.
“A big reason why these initiatives don’t succeed is because of leadership. It’s way more than just the nerdy technical implementation,” Owen said. “It’s about the acceptance with the team who is going to be interacting with these tools.”