The Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and Its Effect On Our Daily Lives

Abstract

​    This paper explores artificial intelligence's (AI) impact on modern society, examining its current applications and potential future implications. AI reshapes governance, communication, and sustainability efforts, offering unprecedented opportunities while raising critical challenges such as privacy, equity, and accountability. Drawing on speculative scenarios and interdisciplinary research insights, this study reflects AI's capacity to empower individuals and reinforce systemic disparities. By engaging thoughtfully with AI's integration into daily life, this paper highlights the importance of balancing innovation with ethical responsibility. It aims to provide a reflective framework for understanding AI’s evolving role in shaping a more equitable and inclusive future.

Introduction

    Artificial Intelligence (AI as it will most often be referred to from now on) has rapidly evolved from a niche area of research to a force that shapes many aspects of modern life. From corporate governance to mass communication to sustainability efforts, AI is now embedded in the technologies that affect our daily routines and global systems. As Haenlein and Kaplan note, AI is a “general purpose technology” whose potential extends beyond specialized applications to address broad challenges. Yet, as its capabilities expand, so too do the questions about its ethical and societal impacts.

    AI operates at the intersection of efficiency and complexity. It enables personalized marketing, automates tasks, and enhances decision-making with predictive analysis, yet raises ethical concerns such as biases, privacy issues, and accountability. Erik Hermann highlights this duality, showing how AI-driven marketing improves consumer engagement while potentially exacerbating social inequalities. Similarly, Liliana Iosif demonstrates how AI enhances managerial communication but introduces dilemmas around transparency and fairness.

    AI also addresses global challenges like sustainability, as illustrated by Peter Seele’s “Digital Sustainability Panopticon.” This concept envisions AI and Big Data enforcing sustainable practices through real-time accountability systems. While offering solutions to pressing environmental issues, it raises concerns about surveillance, privacy, and the risk of misuse.

    This paper aims to explore AI’s current impact deeply by presenting a picture of its capabilities and the challenges it presents. By examining its present applications, we can better understand how AI influences—and is influenced by—human values, systems, and decisions. This understanding lays the groundwork for imagining AI’s potential futures and reflecting on how those possibilities reshape our relationship with an ever-changing world.