Could AI Bring People Closer Together?
A project is working on using generative AI to find similarities in shared experience between people on different sides of the political divide.
Last week we looked at the possibility for generative AI to increase the political divide. While I consider this to be a real threat, I wanted to highlight a more positive opportunity where AI being trialed to do the opposite. I heard about this from a talk published last week from the MIT conference on Generative AI1.
Professor Deb Roy, who heads the MIT centre for Constructive Communication, demonstrated a way in which generative AI could be used to lessen the political divide.
AI for Constructive Communication
Roy and researchers at MIT, along with industry partners, are proposing a type of social network that fosters constructive communication. The project is based around conversations in small groups of around 6 people of different backgrounds, where members share their experiences. Prof. Roy says people talking about facts and opinions, even if presented civilly, does not increase trust or respect - instead listening to experience makes those factors go up.
Fostering Understanding: AI-Enabled Small Group Dialogues
It is hoped that sharing of experiences can lead group members to see similarities, rather than differences, in their world views. The work is being conducted by the project Fora - which says that it aims to create small-group dialogue where people come to an understanding of feelings - and to amplify voices and opinions.
Where Generative AI helps is by taking in all these conversations and looking for common themes or talking points. In what they call "sense-making', generative AI can find patterns in conversations between groups that think they might not have anything in common. In the past someone had to sit and listen and quantify the emotions and experiences the members of the group presented. Through Generative AI, these sentiments can be easily analysed and aggregated for real actionable insights.
Combining AI and Human Insight for Deeper Connection
This technique requires several steps and iterations of AI use. There also needs to be human oversight where there are differences in cultural backgrounds which inform the labelling of certain situations. However, with guidance, it is hoped that Gen AI can identify the experiences that are shared among humans, over and above political lines.
As in other uses, Generative AI in the political sphere comes as a double-edged sword. Wielded one way it could be used to reinforce political beliefs, placing people even further into their partisan echo-chambers. However, on the more hopeful side it could offer a way for people to see their similarities rather than their differences. It has the potential to amplify unheard community voices, form ties based around similarities rather than differences, and foster a more democratic society. This is at least an ideal which we should work toward.
If you have time all the conference talks have been published online, there are a lot of talks about the role of gen AI in ethics and society in general. https://www.youtube.com/@mit/videos