January 2024 - Parks & Recreation - 40

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI can be a quick way to develop the
structure of an idea, a balance needs
to be maintained with human review
and revision to ensure the final result
has not been plagiarized.
Job Displacement
With any technological development,
concerns about job loss due
to automation emerge. " I'd certainly
push back on that, " says Pitti. " The
American economy didn't lose jobs
when we went from shovels to bulldozers.
We didn't lose jobs when we
went from typewriters to computers.
We didn't start hiring fewer rec professionals
when we came out with
new recreation software. I don't think
that [AI] is going to result in anything
that's contrary to what those industrial
transformations have looked like.
So, I hope that would maybe cool
some of the fears and hesitations to
use something like this, because, ultimately,
we're here to provide a better
experience to our residents, and I
think this could do that. "
While abrupt large-scale job loss
may not be imminent, those who
are familiar and comfortable with AI
will be better prepared for the future
working landscape. " It's not that AI
will take your job - it's that someone
using AI will take the job of
somebody not using AI, " says Bhatt.
To adapt, Bhatt emphasizes the significance
of mastering what he calls
" prompt engineering. " " [It's] thinking
how to give prompts to AI in a
way that gets you to the outcomes
you want, because the interfaces may
change, but the ability to think will
stay, " he explains.
Bias
While AI is sometimes romanticized
to seem " more than human, " it is,
in fact, created by humans, learning
from humans and utilized by humans.
At every stage of human intervention,
AI is inheriting our biases.
For example, the New York Times article,
" Who Is Making Sure the A.I.
Machines Aren't Racist? " highlights
how AI " is being built in a way that
replicates the biases of the almost
entirely male, predominantly white
work force making it " (tinyurl.com/
mveww9r5).
As users of AI, we can't control
who is creating it or the mass
amounts of information it draws
from - but we can shape who within
our sphere is invited and encouraged
to participate in its use. The output
reflects the input, and for this reason,
agencies should ensure their AI
users represent various groups and
identities. " Within any one industry
alone, there's a lot more groupthink,
which can result in an echo chamber.
So, to me, AI as a field is one
especially where we need to learn
from those who are not in the [park
and recreation] field, because the
implications matter to everybody, "
says Bhatt. " Ultimately, it's about
people. I would much rather have a
cross-industry, cross-functional intersectionality
of groups, interests,
ages, backgrounds that are created,
that become...think tanks. "
Even after these steps are taken
on the user end, it can't be assumed
that what AI is producing is
bias-free. In fact, it's likely to yield
- and, in turn, perpetuate - the
most common results rather than
the most relevant or needed. " So,
to counter the built-in bias, when
our agencies look at this from hiring
to the information they use, to
the images for the marketing collateral
they design, they have to be
intentional about not taking what's
most easily available to them, " says
Bhatt. " Because that will be the
lowest hanging fruit and, often, the
most stereotypical representation. "
Interpersonal Connections
In a field dedicated to fostering
connections, combating isolation
and loneliness, and enhancing wellbeing
by celebrating the humanity
of our communities, what do we risk
by leaning further into technology?
For Pitti, the time AI saves him and
his colleagues on tasks allows them
to
focus on building
Professionals who are familiar and
comfortable with AI will be better
prepared for the future working landscape.
40 Parks & Recreation |
J ANUAR Y 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
connections
with the community they serve. " The
intention of using technology like
this...is to remove some minutia...to
allow my staff to focus on the more
http://tinyurl.com/mveww9r5 http://tinyurl.com/mveww9r5
January 2024 - Parks & Recreation

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