Rajiv Garg, an associate professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, has dedicated over 25 years to studying artificial intelligence. He believes that as AI technology becomes more sophisticated, it has the potential to enhance human creativity, innovation, and knowledge. However, this positive outcome hinges on global trust in AI and its ethical use.

“AI is progressing rapidly and will transform our work environment at an unprecedented pace,” Garg noted. “Therefore, we need to begin integrating it incrementally into our daily lives.”

Earlier this week, Apple announced its plan to incorporate generative AI technology across its devices and applications. Dubbed Apple Intelligence, this initiative marks Apple’s significant entry into the fast-evolving AI arena, where it has lagged behind industry leaders like Microsoft and Google. Apple is collaborating with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT—an AI chatbot—into its new suite of writing tools and Siri.

Apple Intelligence aims to optimize and streamline user experiences. The technology can summarize emails before they are opened, prioritize notifications, and transcribe voice recordings. Additionally, it offers proofreading and editing suggestions and enables users to search for photos or videos using natural language commands.

Apple is prioritizing privacy and security in its AI integration efforts. In a press release announcing its latest iOS upgrade, the term “privacy” appeared 18 times. The company emphasized that it does not use user data to train its AI models. Most Apple Intelligence features will operate locally, ensuring sensitive data remains on the device. For more complex tasks, devices can utilize Apple’s cloud servers, with data deleted after task completion.

“By embracing and using this technology, we will improve our ability to utilize it effectively in the future, ultimately optimizing our work processes,” said Garg, who is also a member of the United States Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, which advocates for the development of trustworthy AI.

AI’s potential impact spans numerous industries, from healthcare to manufacturing and education, promising increased productivity, cost savings, and innovation. However, Garg emphasizes that this potential can only be realized if AI is used responsibly.

Despite its benefits, AI presents several challenges. Concerns include potential job displacement, the spread of misinformation through manipulated content, and the risk of undermining education by automating assignments. Additionally, there are significant privacy and security issues due to the large volumes of user data processed by AI systems.

Last year, hundreds of AI leaders signed an open letter warning that AI could pose a future threat to humanity. The letter urged that mitigating AI risks should be a global priority, on par with addressing pandemics and nuclear threats.

“We should view AI as a partner that enhances our creativity and productivity,” Garg said. “By seeing it as both an assistant and a tutor, we can learn to leverage it more effectively.”

Apple Intelligence is set to be available to users in a testing phase this fall, marking a significant step in the integration of AI into everyday technology.