InnovateUS 
Are you bummed about AI? Me too, as I recently published in the University of Missouri School of Law Legal Studies journal.
This may not be what some people would expect me to say. If you have read some of my writing about AI, you might assume that I am an enthusiast. It is true that I encourage people to use AI thoughtfully and responsibly. It is also true that there is a great deal about AI that worries me.
The field of dispute resolution offers a useful way to think about these challenges.
I have noticed that discussions about AI often stimulate strong emotional reactions that bypass careful reflection.
As someone who has spent my career studying negotiation, mediation, and decision-making, I have noticed that discussions about AI often stimulate strong emotional reactions that bypass careful reflection.
Many people feel threatened. They distrust the other side. They focus on evidence supporting their existing beliefs. They imagine worst-case scenarios. They become convinced that they are right and others are wrong.
When people go to mediators with difficult disputes, mediators encourage them to understand the situation, explore both the potential benefits and risks of various options, and make thoughtful decisions under conditions of uncertainty.
A mediation perspective openly considers tradeoffs rather than focusing only on worst-case scenarios or unrealistic utopias
A mediation perspective openly considers tradeoffs rather than focusing only on worst-case scenarios or unrealistic utopias. It resists the pull toward either blind enthusiasm or reflexive panic.
There are many problems and a great deal of uncertainty about AI, so careful analysis and caution are especially important. Mediators focus on judgment, fairness, trust, accountability, communication, and helping people make good decisions under uncertain conditions.
We should approach AI in the same way.
The Risks
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AI is developing with a speed, unpredictability, and potential impact that make its risks difficult to anticipate or control. A small number of countries, companies, and wealthy individuals shape much of its development with limited public accountability, while regulation struggles to keep pace.
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AI enables unprecedented collection and use of personal data, expands surveillance capabilities, strengthens authoritarian control, and is increasingly used in warfare, scams, and misinformation.
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AI’s economic benefits are uneven. While some sectors prosper, many people face job displacement, fewer opportunities, and other economic harms. AI also places growing demands on energy and water resources.
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As AI-generated content becomes harder to distinguish from reality, trust in information and institutions can erode. AI may also reduce cultural diversity by reproducing dominant styles and undermining original creative work.
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Increasing reliance on AI can weaken learning, judgment, and human relationships as people become less likely to question automated outputs.
These concerns are real. Many of them occur at societal and global levels where individuals have limited ability to control outcomes directly. So it’s understandable why so many people feel discouraged, frustrated, and even angry about AI.
A More Balanced Perspective
Here are some reasons I am not completely bummed about AI – and actually am encouraged by it.
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AI can dramatically increase access to information and tools, expanding opportunities for those who were previously excluded.
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In areas such as medicine, science, and engineering, AI can accelerate research and discovery, with the potential to produce significant public benefits.
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AI can serve as a useful thinking partner, helping people solve problems more efficiently, generate ideas, test arguments, see issues from different perspectives, and improve decision-making when combined with human judgment.
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AI can promote learning and skill development by providing feedback and practice opportunities that would otherwise be impractical or too costly.
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AI can help people communicate more clearly and efficiently, especially across language and knowledge barriers.
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AI gives us a chance to become more intentional about how we think, work, and make decisions. It provides opportunities to rethink education, professional training, and problem-solving, making them more interactive, responsive, and accessible.
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AI can reduce repetitive work, allowing people to focus more on judgment, strategy, and human interaction.
What Should We Do About It?
Concerned about all the downsides, one might want to stop AI altogether, persuading developers and users to stop developing and using it. But the AI genie is not going back into the bottle. Indeed, it’s likely to expand exponentially.
People don’t have to love AI. But we will increasingly have to live with it. Simply staying stuck in criticism, however, is not very helpful—to ourselves or to anyone else.
Our goal should be to do so wisely, responsibly, and with appropriate human judgment.
So what are realistic options? None of the following approaches is a complete solution, but each can make a difference, especially when used in combination.
Regulation. Governments should establish rules about how AI is developed and used. National and international efforts matter. However, regulation is slow, difficult to coordinate, and often lags behind innovation. It is necessary, but it will not be sufficient by itself.
Industry practices. Technology companies can adopt and enforce responsible standards. Voluntary commitments can help, but they depend on incentives, ethical values, and pressure.
Political and social pressure. Public opinion, advocacy, and market choices can influence how AI is developed and deployed.
Professional norms. Leaders of professions such as business, law, and engineering can model thoughtful use, set expectations, and help others avoid common pitfalls.
Education. This is an especially important strategy. People need to understand enough about AI to use it wisely, question it appropriately, and avoid both over-reliance and unnecessary fear. The goal is to help people develop practical understanding so they can use and evaluate AI effectively and promote the strategies listed above.
Why Public Engagement Matters
Democracy depends on active participation by the public. The future of AI will not be determined solely by technology companies, governments, or engineers. It will also be shaped by the people who choose to engage with it thoughtfully, critically, and constructively.
If people decide that AI is simply too troubling to engage with, they leave decisions about its future to others. Those decisions may increasingly be made by people whose priorities do not include the public interest, democratic values, or the rule of law.
Learning about AI is one of the best ways to deal with the problems it creates. This can enable people to recognize problems and respond appropriately. Learning about AI also enables people to take advantage of its benefits, not just cope with its risks, especially as it continues to expand.
Just as mediators help people understand difficult situations, evaluate options, and make thoughtful decisions under conditions of uncertainty, leaders of institutions, professions, and educational organizations have an especially important role to play.
They can develop norms for appropriate use, teach people how to use AI ethically and effectively, and help shape governance systems that promote accountability, public trust, and the rule of law.
The goal is not to eliminate conflict or uncertainty. The goal is to understand the situation clearly, consider the realistic options, and make the best possible decisions under the circumstances.
As dispute resolution professionals often remind others, the goal is not to eliminate conflict or uncertainty. The goal is to understand the situation clearly, consider the realistic options, and make the best possible decisions under the circumstances.
AI deserves the same approach.