Do you worry about the robots? Why or why not?
Dr Jo Criss guided the interested or concerned through this topic in the session of Don't Worry about the Robots at WORD Christchurch 2025. The well-attended session took a conversational format, allowing audience members to ask a question at any point during the talk.
The session began with questions from Jo. When she asked whether people used any types of artificial intelligence (AI), why or why not, and what level of familiarity they had with AI, the audience responded eagerly with different opinions.
What is AI? Jo used the process of cooking a dish as a metaphor to explain the features of AI and how an AI tool is used. According to her, using an AI tool is like a chef cooking a dish. The difference between AI and search engines is that AI generates something new - just like a dish that is different from its original ingredients. She added that the final product can be either exciting or frightening.
When asked what she used AI for, Jo explained that she used ChatGPT and Claude as a search engine or a "thought partner" and had started using them as an assistant for repetitive and tedious tasks. She considered AI a useful tool but warned that the results it generates depend heavily on the prompts users input. AI is not a source of truth, and users need to verify the results they get, as AI is still in a continuous learning process.
Q: What about bias? How can we manage bias in AI?
A large language model matches words with words based on human knowledge. Since humans are biased, AI learns both our strengths and weaknesses. For example, when you asked about a doctor and a nurse, AI might use "he" to refer to the former and "she" to the latter - showing gender bias inherited from human history. Again, AI is not the source of truth. Interestingly, when I asked Claude whether it was gender biased, it answered with 'yes' a year ago. When I asked the same question a week ago, it not only admitted to the bias but also offered some points on how to remove and avoid bias. In the New Zealand context, AI can also learn, for example, racial biases from inappropriate presentations of ethnicities in social media.
While talking about the book of Don't Worry about the Robots, Jo explained that it was written in response to changes in work brought about by the recent pandemics and the rapid development of AI. COVID enabled people to work together digitally using tools like Zoom. Although Chapt GPT is new, its user number grew rapidly, reaching billions within two months of its release.
She commented on historical change by saying,
Humanity has gone through massive transformations… This (AI) is just another one. We are experiencing major interruptions to how we live, how we work and how we think. During the Industrial Revolution, thousands of jobs were lost but meanwhile new industries emerged. We need to think about AI in the same way.
She suggested that people should think about the trend and find ways to stay relevant.
Q: COVID told us we could learn without schools. Now, AI tells us we can learn without teachers. What does it mean for education in the future?
In the book, they delivered a key message: as humans, we are going to be ones with unique qualities, one of which is agile and ability to learn. We used to talk about these traits in social settings. We need empathy and will form relationships ways that we haven’t had before. We will be able to communicate deeply. These are qualities our children need to develop – they need to know how to work together, communicate effectively, show empathy and continuously learn. I am not sure whether merely sitting in front of an AI screen will help us achieve that. They covered a lot in the book, but the most valuable thing is that we have humanity. The concern is whether we have nurtured it as much as we could do.
Q: You told us not worry about the robots, but should I worry about them?
She doesn’t want to horrify people. What she wants to convey is that everything is open to choice. Even if we don’t fully understand how AI works, we can still control whether and how we use it. I’m a bit worried that we might delegate the power of decision-making to the large language model without even realising it. Again, it comes down to our humanity and our choices.
To write the book, they interviewed 12 New Zealanders working in cutting-edge technologies. They have a unique perspective on what’s coming next. They asked them what they think about the future and how they are preparing themselves, their families, and their children to stay relevant and live good lives. They believe we truly need to understand our values and purpose, ask what contributions we want to make to the planet, and plan how to make those contributions happen
In short, it is all about our values, purpose and choices.
Q: Can we talk a little bit more about both the good side and the bad side of AI?
A positive example is the use of AI in medical science, where it helps save lives. On the other hand, the most concerning aspect of AI for ordinary people is its potential to take jobs away from them. However, new jobs will also be created. People will still be employed, but the nature of their jobs may be different from what they were before.
Q: What does research say about our brain and thinking?
Our brain has two modes of thinking: one handling slow thinking for complex issues and another dealing with fast and intuitive responses for simple questions. Younger people tend to rely on AI tools to do the slow thinking for them. This could lead to a decline in their ability to think deeply and solve complex problems. It is an ongoing challenge for education. Educators need to consider how to teach students to use AI as a tool while still thinking independently.
Q: What should the NZ Government be doing for this?
New Zealand's strategy for AI called Investing with Confidence was released last month. Commentators from a variety of backgrounds have reviewed it. The document is largely business-focused and acknowledges that New Zealand is lagging behind other OECD countries in its engagement with AI.
Our business landscape is unique. We have more small and mediate size companies, many of which have no plans to engage AI in the near future. There are listed things to do in the Strategy. It says that many New Zealander's lack of an understanding of and are even afraid of it. The Strategy is seen as a solution to start handling this.
The Government takes a light touch approach on this. There is an AI forum in New Zealand but it is a NGO organised by some tech leaders, and discussions are primarily at the technical level. Actually, all of us should be part of this discussion.
In European Union, consultation goes to the public and create an interesting framework, which even challenges some major AI companies. Perhaps, we should follow the model.
Q: When you talked about relevant and irrelevant, who do you think is relevant?
We talked about how to survive and thrive in the future, and what skill set or even mindset people will need. She believes that everyone can use AI. You don't need formal training. In that sense, the tool is quite democratic. However, if we don’t use it in a democratic way, we risk leaving some people behind.
Q: You talked about the idea of choice. Who has the choice? Under what circumstance?
At a personal level, people can choose whether to use AI as a tool and how to use it for their own productivity. You're right - many important decisions are made by leaders and organisations about how AI is deployed, invested in, and used ethically. This is a serious question.
The discussion during the hour was lively and also touched on topics such as copyright, advanced AI systems, and the importance of human-to-human connection.
The session offered an opportunity for both the audience and the wider public to begin thinking about and engaging with AI with the goal of making it a common good.
If you’re still unsure whether to be concerned about robots or AI, you might consider reading Jo’s book and experimenting with an AI tool. As Jo concluded:
Go play with it, go use it, go understand it, and go make it more human on your own terms.
Find out more
- Find titles on Robots in the catalogue
- Learning about Artificial Intelligence with Library Resources
- Browse our WORD Christchurch 2025 page
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