TRANSCRIPT:
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Luis Hernandez: We’ve been hearing a lot about artificial intelligence in recent years. This emerging technology has the potential to transform the state’s economy, government and our daily lives in unexpected ways. Earlier this year, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee established the state’s artificial intelligence task force to consider how schools, businesses, and government agencies can implement innovative A.I. technologies in a safe and responsible manner. Joining me now to talk more about it is Chris Parisi. He is the vice-chair of the A.I. task force and founder of the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition. Chris, I appreciate the time. Thanks so much.
Chris Parisi: Thank you, Luis, for having me on.
Hernandez: Chris, tell me, why do we need an artificial intelligence task force?
Parisi: Well, we are on the cusp of a monumental transformation that will probably be the biggest in any of our lifetimes. What that means is, this is something that affects everyone in every part of their days, whether it’s from a business standpoint or also from your individual personal standpoint. I mean, we’re talking about something that’s going to have more transformative qualities than when the internet arrived or when smartphones are in your pockets or when social media is consuming your attention. This has the impact to be once in a lifetime, and we need to ensure that we’re not only prepared for it, but we also seize the vast opportunities that come with this technology.
Hernandez: Do you see the task force creating rules? What exactly is it going to do? I mean, does the task force have power to enforce anything?
Parisi: That’s a great question. Our mission is this dual focus of identifying where the opportunities are and how we can mitigate the inevitable risks. So we’re going to deliver a report to the governor that says, here’s how Rhode Island can be a leader in this A.I. revolution. Here are the risks that we have to make sure that we avoid, that we manage, that we mitigate when it comes to the biases that are built into A.I. models, when it comes to equity and diversity and making sure that we use responsible A.I. And then from there, it’s to be determined how it’s going to be executed at the public and private level.
Hernandez: A.I., whenever you talk about it with anybody, you get folks who are incredibly optimistic and they think this is taking us into a bright new future. There are folks who think this could be the end of humanity. I’m wondering, from you personally, are you more optimistic about what A.I. can mean or do you have more concerns about it?
Parisi: I have this unreasonable hope where we can come out better because of this technology. The fears that exist with A.I. are very reasonable and understandable, and I myself do have some fears. What I also see is a way where our world can become better. Until we solve all the world’s problems, we’re not going to be better as a civilization. And with artificial intelligence, we now have this superpower that can make sure that the Ocean State stays strong with environmental resilience. We can ensure that we solve our education problems, as well, and health care and housing. It’s a superpower that if we use [it] responsibly, we can take our civilization to the next level. But if we keep our head in the sands and ignore it, then we are going to be worse off.
Hernandez: Well, let’s look at some specifics. What do you see as perhaps one or two of the big risks that are presented by artificial intelligence for the state, whether on the private or public sector?
Parisi: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the impact on jobs, and that’s something that a lot of people are fearful of. Like I said, rightfully so. There already are examples of jobs that are being lost to A.I., such as customer service agents. You can have A.I. bot now, whether it’s through text, chatting, or just someone that sounds exactly like a person, but you’re speaking to an A.I. bot, right? It’s crazy. It is already here. So we’re seeing certain job sectors have a downward trend of net loss when it comes to the impact of A.I. So what we need to do as a state is to ensure we identify what those jobs are, make sure that we identify where the new jobs are going to be created, and we upskill and retrain our workforce and prepare our education system so that they can be ready for these new jobs, and we are on the upward trend, not the downward trend. And the other risk is that we’re giving away a lot of information to these large language models. We’re used to that as a society now with social media and the internet at large, but when you have A.I. making decisions that humans should be making decisions, that’s [what] I am fearful of. So as long as we still hold the agency to make these high level critical decisions and we’re not having fully autonomous warfare, for instance, that’s where I draw the line. Have A.I. make recommendations, but not the decisions ultimately.
Hernandez: All right. So those are two risks. Give me one opportunity that excites you about A.I.
Parisi: One opportunity is it creates a democratization where a small state like Rhode Island or a small company like Trailblaze Marketing can be number one in their respective place. So if we utilize A.I. properly – let’s just use the state of Rhode Island as an example – we don’t have to be last. We don’t have to be the smallest. We can be one of the most impactful and powerful if we utilize this correctly. To be a little bit more specific, we could build these data centers here in Rhode Island. We could harness the talent that are coming out of our education and higher ed system to make sure we fund startups, utilizing A.I. It just excites me that we have the opportunity to be number one utilizing this superpower, just similar to how Rhode Island was number one during the American Industrial Revolution.
Hernandez: I’m going to put you on the spot, Chris. I want you to think about the future. Go 10 years into the future. What do you think Rhode Island looks like with A.I. in 10 years? And I’m wondering if there’s going to be a period of some painful transition because of the change that comes.
Parisi: The rate of change is incredible with A.I. as we have all experienced. 10 years from now is essentially about 35 years of time of how change has recently have evolved, right? So there’s going to be a different world where A.I agents, robots are going to be much more involved in our daily lives. I think about my two-year-old that will be 12, and he’s going to be growing up with an A.I. tutor that knows every little thing about him and have that very personalized education. I think about my parents who are in their 60s and 70s [and] how they’re going to have these A.I. health care bots that are going to assist them and monitor their health to make sure they’re living well. And I see Rhode Island where we have that beautiful knowledge district. We have that 195 land and I can see data centers built there. I could see growth and startup centers and my friend Arnelle Millhouse talks about the Silicon Road, R H O D E and why don’t we have that, something like that here in Rhode Island? So I do have hope for the future, but it’s only going to work if not just the policymakers do it, but if everyday Rhode Islanders truly embrace A.I. You hear the adage that A.I. is not going to replace you. Someone using A.I. is going to replace you. Don’t be just fearful about it and don’t keep their head in the sand about it.
Hernandez: Chris Parisi, he’s the founder of the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition and the vice chair of the state’s A.I. task force. Chris, thanks so much for the insight. I really appreciate it.
Parisi: My pleasure.
