According to the latest news, advances in artificial intelligence are taking steps towards equipping computers with the ability to argue. The process of argumentation and debate is what form the cornerstones of a civilised society and an intellectual life. Do we need to be worried if the computers are equipped with similar skills?
As technology is continuously reshaping our lives, we are slowly getting used to the new ways of working and interacting. Along with us, technology is always changing the way the government and judiciaries engage citizens in the democratic and legal processes. It seems like technology is always evolving for the betterment of the society. However, there are profound challenges as well.
One of the reasons for these challenges could be the way we are presented with the latest news. From Fox to BBC, most of the media channels are personalising content, with login ID to select which stories would be featured prominently. Because of this, we are constantly locking ourselves into chambers of like-minded individuals. This eventually results into our arguments being more one-sided, less balanced and a lack of alternative point of views.
Another concern is that the news which is delivered is not completely reliable anymore. Due to such challenges, the critical thinking skills are considered to be the most important. It is not only limited to critical thinking but also the ability to judge, understand other viewpoints, integrate information, balance arguments and draw a final conclusion. These are a few of the most prominent skills that have been the subject of academic research in philosophy for more than 2000 years.
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The University of Dundee has a Centre of Argument Technology (ARG-tech) that primarily focuses on the theories of philosophy, linguistics and psychology; which tell us about how we argue, counter-argue and similar points. These theories are later used as a starting point to develop AI tools that model, recognise, teach and participate in the arguments.
Experts are still taking time to develop this type of AI is because of the lack of enough data.
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