One critical area that will almost certainly see dramatic changes in the years ahead is that of accessing public benefits programs — a realm already fraught with systemic barriers. While AI brings great potential to streamline burdensome processes and expand access to critical services, it also poses significant risks if deployed without care. As we stand at the precipice of an AI revolution, it’s critical that policymakers, tech companies and advocates work collectively to steer these technologies towards empowering people in need, rather than further isolating them. The promise is real, but far from guaranteed.
These developments come at a moment of growing recognition of how critical a robust, accessible safety net is to building and maintaining a prosperous society. Analysis on the expansion of the child tax credit during the Covid-19 pandemic found that increasing the benefit amount and making it available to more people lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty. In contrast, the addition of work requirements to enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), as proposed by Congressional Republicans early this year, would have reduced enrollment by an estimated 52% if it had been enacted, by making it more difficult for families in need to access the benefits. Given that SNAP is credited with keeping 3.3 million children out of poverty every year, this change would have drastically increased the number of children in poverty. These outcomes have major ramifications, not just for the families involved, but for society at large, as the long-term impact of child poverty has been calculated to cost more than $1 trillion every year. - In These Times
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Artificial intelligence and getting public benefits
I’m still an AI skeptic, at least of many of the claims that are out there. Remember how the internet itself was going to totally remake our lives, like “paperless offices,” the total end of traditional retailing, etc., etc? (Though certainly some people made a great deal of money from pronouncements like that being taken very seriously. Other people lost a great deal of money, too.) We will have to deal with AI, of sorts, in some ways, though.
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Side comment - I don't know how much of this is AI, but there is no doubt that the electronic medical systems and financial systems have adapted.
ReplyDeleteOn Monday, I had two medical appointments. I first pre-checked in loading/confirming my identity, insurance info, etc. Went to the clinic and reported straight to the proper department and told the nurse "I'm here". Minutes later technician greeted me, confirmed my name and birth date ... started the tests ... and informed me that the doctors would advise my primary care physician of the results. Then I was off to the grocery stores where I used the self-serve to check-out ... charging everything to my credit card (to get the $50 incentive the bank was offering for using their card.) Since I had time between appoinments, I visited with my homeowners insurance agent who reminded me that summertime was a good time to walk around the house with my cellphone filming the contents of the house and to email the clip to myself in case there was ever a fire that could destroy the contents. Then off to the second doctor ... same check-in procedure and short visit with the specialist. Drove home ... and checked my computer to learn the results of the first test (which I probably saw before my primary care physician), bank notices that I had used my credit card and a notice from the specialist recapping my appointment.
As I said this may not be pure AI, but there is no doubt that less people (workers) are involved in today's world and the user is doing more of the work. One of the problems that I see is that some "users" are not familiar with all the latest gizmos .... that would include seniors as well as low-income.