Artificial Intelligence and Society: Rutgers Expert Discusses Impact

Jim Samuel, executive director of informatics programs at Rutgers-New Brunswick, is available to comment on how artificial intelligence (AI) will shape the post-pandemic new normal. Samuel is an expert on AI’s impact on the individual and human society, and has studied the COVID-19 pandemic through AI and informatics.

“AI is one of the most consequential paradigms in human history with tremendous positive and negative implications,” said Samuel. “The world will see trillions of dollars of AI-driven value creation, but we are on the cusp of AI-driven mass manipulation of human behavior and lives. A frenzied AI power-grab and capitalization gold rush are creating risks, which will leave humans and nations unprotected and vulnerable.”

“AI’s prominence will increase rapidly as society leans more on technological solutions to alleviate post-COVID concerns. The greatest threat from AI among the many risks is ‘human belief manipulation,’ where a few powerful persons, entities or governments use pervasive AI, informatics and big data to control beliefs and effect mass behavioral changes in population.”

Samuel is an associate professor of artificial intelligence and informatics at Rutgers’ Bloustein School of Public Policy and conducts research at the Rutgers Urban & Civic Informatics (RUCI) Lab. He focuses on the optimal use of big data and smart data-driven AI applications, information philosophy, textual analytics, natural language processing and artificially intelligent public opinion informatics. His expertise extends to socioeconomic implications of AI, applied machine learning, social media analytics, AI education and AI bias.