Dichotomies: The other side of generative AI
Projecting the positive and negative possibilities of generative AI helps us create the future we want
As futurists, our job is to inspire and inform. To fulfill those aims at the same time, we focus on opportunities, helping leaders see beyond buzzwords and on to business value. Reports like Tech Trends and the newly minted xTech Futures: SpaceTech are widely read and shared globally by those who are keen today to find competitive advantage tomorrow.
But futurists are not the same as technology evangelists. While we believe in the power of technology to transform society, we’re keenly aware of its issues. We know that technology supply chains exploit labor, that misinformation poses a sincere threat to governments, and that time and again, the biases inherent in humans find their way into technology, further marginalizing minority groups who’ve been historically disadvantaged.
We’re eager to peel back the shiny, glib layer of technology to expose these examples of what's festering underneath, while still being pragmatic about the opportunities. True progress should strive to break us from the patterns of the past just as it builds the routines of the future.
For that reason, we’re proud to share our Dichotomies series. A unique new piece of thought leadership from Deloitte that explores not just the positive, but the negative potential of technology as well. Through Dichotomies, we expand our lens to look not just at technology’s impact on business, but its impact on human beings.
The future of technology is the future of humans who will be using that technology. Peering forward, then, is an act of empathy.
We explore this impact through an unexpected form of writing: speculative fiction. The role of fiction is often to organize narrative in a way that highlights themes; it helps us reconstitute an idea of the self, and of the times we inhabit. Fiction asks: What is happening to us? Applied to the future, fiction asks: What could happen to us?
Through the frame of fiction, we believe we can better empathize with our future selves, embrace the allure of tech, and mitigate its concerns. So, step into 2030 (or beyond) with us in Dichotomies Issue 2, and ask: What could happen to us as generative AI continues to advance?
Within this issue, you’ll meet 6 characters, representing a positive or negative future for generative AI across 3 domains: work, education, and society. Through brief, one-page narratives you’ll inhabit their lives for a single day and understand how generative AI is making or breaking their hopes and dreams—from a biotech researcher using AI to accelerate drug discovery, to a nonbinary Cherokee student hoping to generate avatars that look like their family, to a father hoping to design the ideal house so his daughter will tolerate a move across the globe.
Each set of narratives is then backed up by incisive analysis of what those futures represent, along with industry-specific takeaways. We aim for fiction to spark a conversation, and analysis to build a fire of discussion with leaders on how to embrace the positive allure of generative AI while mitigating the concerns.
Crucially, the narratives and takeaways are backed by detailed research and expert interviews. The issue begins with a definition of generative AI, a brief history of the technology, and a projection for the now, new, and next phases of generative AI progress in society, based on the comprehensive research done by the Deloitte AI Institute.
As futurists, our job is to inspire and inform. But our job is also to inoculate, to protect our future against the worst ills of technology by discussing them early and often. We aim to show up as more nuanced and thoughtful futurists by doing so, and we hope for a more nuanced and thoughtful future in turn.
Onward, to more hopeful shores
- Abhijith Ravinutala, NExT Futurist and Writer