Ann Arbor Times

Challenges in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence are numerous, but there remains potential for positive integration if society chooses to take responsibility. University of Michigan experts Nigel Melville and Yousif Hassan discussed these issues on the latest episode of "Business & Society."

Melville, an associate professor at U-M’s Ross School of Business, and Hassan, an assistant professor at the Ford School of Public Policy, addressed risks associated with AI, governance challenges, layoffs, human agency, systemic biases, and environmental impacts. They emphasized transparency in AI's implementation and the need for a collective understanding.

“We need to bring together artists, historians, political scientists, economists," Melville stated. "What is this AI thing? What does it mean to us? What are the possibilities?”

Hassan added that while AI is neither inherently good nor bad, it is not neutral either. “Society has the ability to shape the technology,” he said. He stressed that democratic deliberation about AI is crucial as its urgency grows.

"Business & Society" is a joint production by the Ross School and Michigan News. It features contributions from JT Godfrey and Jeff Karoub with audio engineering by Jonah Brockman and editorial production by Mads Henke.