Gov. JB Pritzker fears about impact of AI on everyday life in Illinois; "Everything is going to be turned upside down."
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday raised concerns about the impact artificial intelligence might have on people's everyday lives in Illinois in the coming years.
Pritzker recently visited Silicon Valley in California to meet with tech company executives, and said he learned AI is seeping its way into every aspect of American life faster than most people think. He said he's worried about what it means for Illinois.
Speaking on Monday to several consular officials in Chicago, Pritzker was asked by the Argentinian Consul General how he would make sure
"I don't think any of us want kids learning in school not from a teacher, but only from AI," Pritzker said.
Alpha Schools, a private school that teaches students entirely using artificial intelligence programs, recently began enrolling students for classes in Chicago for next fall.
Pritzker said the speed with which AI is penetrating all forms of life is concerning.
"It's happening right now. This is not ten years from now. It's not some gradual thing. It's like the next three years. Everything is going to be turned upside down," he said.
Pritzker pointed to a lack of focus on the matter from the nation's capital.
"The worst parts of AI will happen if we do not have a plan for managing how this is going to affect people's everyday lives. And right now, in my view, I have not heard anybody in Washington advancing a plan, and certainly not anybody that's in power," he said.
Meantime, Pritzker said he's hoping the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides disaster relief funding for victims of this month's tornado in Kankakee County. It's the governor's team that has to facilitate the ask, and Pritzker noted there's a threshold for damages based on population that must be met for FEMA to provide the funding.
"Having toured, it does appear to me that we would have met the threshold, "Pritzker said. "So, my hope is that the federal government will act quickly and do the right thing. I mean, this shouldn't be political."
At the end of the day, Prtizker said he isn't sure if the Trump administration will come through with disaster relief funds for Illinois. He said they seem completely distracted with other things, and he hopes the right thing is done.
Usually, it takes a few months to get the red tape cleared and the money in.
Recently, the Trump administration repeatedly denied Illinois' request for disaster relief funds for parts of the state hit hard by flooding, wind, and hail damage from strong storms last summer. Pritzker has said those denials were politically motivated.
