Future of AI and Human Agency: A Qualitative Study

AI is developing so fast that philosophers of technology could not keep up with philosophizing it. AI promises to augment human capabilities, offering new insights and efficiencies. However, it also raises concerns about diminished autonomy and decision-making skills. Balancing AI's potential with ethical considerations is crucial to ensure it acts as a tool that enriches, rather than diminishes, human agency. In the present study, we interviewed a group of ۶۲ tech-savvy professionals from Iran's technology sector to see how they think about the relationship between a much more powerful AI in the future and its relationship with human agency. Since these participants were -supposedly- more acquaint with AI and its capabilities, we decided interviewing them would yield important insights. After qualitatively analyzing our data, we came into five main categories of perspectives on AI and future of human agency: Augmentation and Enhancement, Displacement and Dependency, Collaboration and Partnership, Control and Ethics, and, Transformation and Transcendence. For each category, we provided examples from our interviews.

Keywords:

AI , Artificial Intelligence , future , Iran , Tech-Savvy people