It has been widely reported in recent years that the generational dividend is breaking down, with young people today less and less likely to live a more prosperous life than their parents.  It’s a pessimism that permeates a new report from IEEE into the way AI and other emerging technologies will impact the lives of their children.

The report examines the prospects of so-called Generation Alpha, who were born after 2010, through the eyes of their parents.  The findings revealed a mixture of optimism and pessimism about the likelihood that technology will help their offspring to live a healthy and prosperous life.

For instance, respondents were confident that robotic technology could help to sanitize public spaces.  Support for AI-powered carers was less effusive, however, with around half of parents comfortable leaving their child in the care of an AI-powered virtual nurse during a hospital visit.

Tentative support

While 3D printing in a healthcare setting is a more nascent technology, it has achieved a degree of publicity during the pandemic as regions have attempted to bootleg a wide range of medical supplies in times of urgent need.  This correlates with a degree of support among millennial parents, for whom 63% said they were at least a little bit comfortable with things such as a 3D printed heart (providing it had been robustly tested, of course).

There was even more tentative support for the use of robots in surgical settings, despite this kind of technology being more advanced than some of the others that parents were more enthusiastic about. Just over half of parents were okay with AI-powered robots performing surgery on their child, with a clear regional divide between Chinese parents, who are happy for this to happen, and American parents, who are not.

In an educational context, parents seem broadly supportive of a wide range of technologies, ranging from autonomous buses to take their children to school, for which 58% of parents are supportive, to the use of robots to help children with homework, for which 66% expressed support.

The researchers suggest that the pandemic, which has seen many parents have to juggle homeschooling children alongside working from home, has driven home the value provided by technologies that can lend a helping hand. This is reflected in the 54% of American parents who revealed that a robot nanny would be a lifesaver in their household. This figure rose to 68% in the UK.

There were concerns, however, that such an approach could also result in isolation and loneliness for their children. Obviously, COVID-19 has forced separation in many cases, which has prompted a spike in loneliness-related mental health problems for people around the world. This has been particularly prevalent in areas such as saying goodbye to loved ones or even maintaining contact with extremely vulnerable elderly relatives. Respondents to the survey suggest that virtual reality could be a useful technology in such circumstances, although it’s not as clear that their elderly relative is as enthusiastic.

Mixed feelings

The findings chime with that of the Global Attitudes Report from Oxford University’s Internet Institute, which revealed a similarly mixed response to the supposed benefits of AI.

The report reveals a public that is broadly speaking divided down the middle on the impact of AI in public life, with those in the East seemingly far more comfortable than those of us in the West.

The research was based upon the data generated by the 2019 World Risk Poll produced by the Lloyds Register Foundation.  Their survey examines the public perception of global risks, with 142 countries participating.

“Understanding public confidence in AI and machine learning is vital to the successful implementation of such systems in government,” the researchers explain.

The researchers were particularly keen to understand how people feel AI will contribute (or not) to society in the next twenty years.  The results highlight clear regional differences, with clear skepticism present in North America and Latin America, where at least 40% believe that AI will be harmful.