TED ventured into the world of AI in October with the TEDAI conference. One of the main themes held in Vienna was how this ever-evolving technology will revolutionize the creative, digital media and education sectors.
Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Wikimedia Foundation, said at the TEDAI conference that “AI increases creativity in many dimensions.” She further noted that “I’m confident that people can absorb what’s changing and hopefully come together in many different ways to think about the best ways we can use these technologies to actually improve lives.”
Deckelmann’s optimism is refreshing in a climate where research into the potential dangers of AI seems to be overshadowing the discourse on how it will revolutionize our ability to express and educate ourselves. We must not forget that, but we must also be aware of its risks, and we must not be afraid to accept that this will fundamentally change the way we practice education and creativity.
Essentially, Deckelmann’s perspective is that AI is a creative enabler. This certainly may be the case. AI-powered tools such as image, video or content generators can stimulate new forms of expression and problem solving. Adobe recently announced this Adobe Fireflya free service that gives creators access to features like generative fill that creates richer, more photorealistic images using text-to-image prompts to meet their needs directly.
For independent small businesses that in the past have not been able to afford a graphic designer or purchase a content library, this could revolutionize the way they create marketing materials, and as such is a further step towards democratizing advanced marketing techniques.
Tech entrepreneur Rotem Farkash recently highlighted this as a point to democratize business development. Farkash explained, “As an entrepreneur, I know how challenging it can be for small businesses to create the content pool they need to grow and expand, and products like Adobe Firefly are a great way to give entrepreneurs this opportunity a way that doesn’t. eats up margins that are already very nice.’
One of the biggest challenges social media companies have faced in recent times is the authentication of content to ensure mis and disinformation does not spread on their platforms. AI is an excellent tool for ensuring the reliability of content.
At TEDAI, Laurant Buanec, a country manager at
Currently, Community Notes is a human-led feature. The use of AI within this feature could dramatically increase the depth and breadth of community annotations. Similarly, AI algorithms can be used on platforms like X or Facebook to demote fake news while amplifying verified content.
Education is another element of AI development that we must embrace. Our relationship with education is about to fundamentally change and the number of people with access to the highest level of education will increase exponentially in the coming years.
Although this is a double-edged sword. We need digital literacy programs to educate people so that they first know how to get the most out of AI platforms, and then use this in the educational environment.
At TEDAI, Victor Riparbelli, CEO and co-founder of text-video AI platform Synthesia, said AI “will take us some time to evolve with the technology, but education will be very valuable in helping us understand it. .’
Companies like it Duolingo have already started implementing AI to improve their product offerings. In March 2024, they announced that they had partnered with OpenAI to include Chat GPT-4, which gives users access to two new features that explain answers in real time and for role-playing. This is a great example of the potential that AI has to improve learning.
In developing economies with remote communities where access to education is difficult, providing educational facilities through AI devices could be both faster and cheaper.
While we are right to be cautious about the development of AI and its potential negative consequences, in recent months fear of these potential problems has obscured the incredible possibilities in the world of creativity, digital media and education.
It is critical that there is an ongoing dialogue between technologists, innovators, users and policymakers to ensure that AI is developed in a way that continues to improve entrepreneurial, digital media and education offerings while maintaining its integrity.