AI here, there, everywhere

Back in 2018, I wrote an opinion piece arguing that ‘Artificial Intelligence is upon us’ and that, soon enough, some form of it will become an essential component of contemporary life and industry. In my piece, I emphasised the importance of balancing economic growth with ethical considerations, ensuring that the workforce remains future-proof through education and digital literacy initiatives. I concluded that when the time comes, Malta should opt for a human-centric approach to regulation and implementation that views this technology as a tool for progress rather than a threat.

Public sector: Well, that pivotal moment is now upon us: with the rise in Large Language Model (LLM) development in the past several years, and its proliferation in daily life and work through what have now become household names (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral and Claude, to name a few), this transformation is more tangible than ever.

Malta’s government has quickly ramped up its efforts in regulation and capacity building, having recently revised the original 2019 National AI strategy and even appointed a chief AI officer to oversee AI efforts within the public service.

This is a step in the right direction but I err on the side of caution.

In its transformative exercise, the public service should ensure that its efforts are human-centred and, most importantly, bottom-up.

Listening to every layer of the public service is essential to ensure that any intervention that uses AI in its workflow is well understood and acceptable.

In my current work, I am introducing AI and robot solutions to streamline various procedures for nurses at the Erasmus Medical Centre, one of Europe’s largest and foremost hospitals, and this approach has made a significant difference.

The nurses no longer feel threatened by technology; rather, they embrace our proposals, as we work hand in hand with them, involving them at every step through a co-design approach. Working in tandem with all workers is key and the public sector should lead the way.

Self-driving vehicles: Such attention should also be applied to our mobility spaces.

Recently, there seems to have been a resurgence in local discourse on the introduction of autonomous vehicles within the local ecosystem.

This was a matter I had discussed on a local vodcast back in 2021, back when I was still conducting my doctoral research in the Netherlands about how pedestrians would interact with such vehicles in the future.

Perhaps my observations from five years ago could prove relevant to this renewed interest.

Before we move to any hybrid models or a shared space with automation, we must first ensure that there is a well-functioning mixed mobility shared space, where cars, bikes and pedestrians coexist safely, before adding robot vehicles into the mix.

That means proper infrastructure for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter users).

There needs to be a push for more pedestrian-friendly areas, especially in non-touristic areas, and better access to reliable public transportation, which in turn should be given priority over motorised vehicles on the roads. It would be challenging to introduce automated vehicles on gridlocked roads or in areas where pedestrian accessibility is limited, leading to further obstruction.

It’s upsetting, if not deeply concerning, to see never-ending cycles of fake news- Wilbert Tabone

Smart and connected road infrastructure is also key towards this shift towards automation, and it is satisfying to see that this transformation is slowly taking place.

Furthermore, prior to introducing automated taxi services, the push should be towards automated public transport pods, which can ferry multiple passengers.

Of course, all of this has to be bottom-up.

Acceptance of any of these initiatives must be complemented with a stronger push towards AI literacy.

Education and AI literacy: Education and AI literacy are more relevant than ever and should go beyond just offering a free LLM licence as a token of completion. The government’s plan to offer such courses is commendable, but it must ensure that students are equipped with critical skills that allow them to reflect on what they are creating, rather than just how to do it. Students should be able to question what they are creating, the AI models, their outputs and learn all the risks associated with using such tools.

There should also be increased efforts to train the public to recognise deepfakes and the telltale signs of AI-generated content.

It’s upsetting, if not deeply concerning, to see never-ending cycles of fake news and media permeating through the content we consume, whether it’s deliberate misinformation or, simply, rage bait.

Through enhanced AI literacy, people become more perceptive to subversion and gradually develop the ability to think twice about the content they consume or even create.

This programme should go beyond packaging AI training as just learning about generative tools and should cover all facets of what AI is: from its history and applications over the past decades, to automation and its transformative potential across all facets of society.

Responsibly embracing the wave is the key to a harmonious future. 

Wilbert Tabone is a senior scientific researcher and new media artist based in the Netherlands.