Movie Screening and Panel Discussion on “AI and Labour Market”
On 23 January 2024, uptownBasel and the interdisciplinary research network Responsible Digital Society (RDS) at the University of Basel hosted a new edition of the event series "Digitalization - and now?". This time, the movie screening followed by a panel discussion focused on the opportunities and risks of AI on the labour market.
More than 100 guests from research, education and business accepted the invitation to the movie screening in the auditorium of the Kollegienhaus of the University of Basel as part of the fourth edition of the event series "Digitalisation - and now?", this time on the topic of "Colleague AI takes over - opportunities and risks on the labour market". The welcome address by Prof. Dr. Heiko Schuldt (Co-chair of the research network Responsible Digital Society) was followed by the broadcast of the documentary “Colleague AI takes over» from 3SAT.
The subsequent panel discussion was moderated by Urs Gredig (Swiss Radio and TV). The discussion focused on the influence of AI processes on the labour market. Particular importance was attached to generative AI programs such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, which can create texts and images, and the consequences that these programs have on creative professions were analysed in detail. The speakers were Damir Bogdan (CEO QuantumBasel), Prof. Dr. Michael Beckmann (Professor of Human Resources and Organization, University of Basel) and Prof. Dr. Alfred Früh (Professor of Private Law with a focus on Life Sciences Law and Intellectual Property Law, University of Basel). With the involvement of the audience, the panel also addressed questions of copyright and how artists and their works can be protected. The effects of the planned legal regulations on AI in the EU (EU AI Act) and the consequences for companies and individuals in Switzerland were also discussed. An important outcome of the discussion was the realisation that the acquisition of basic AI skills is essential and that the disclosure of AI processes is the necessary prerequisite for increasing the acceptance of AI processes and trust in AI-generated output.
After a preview of the next event in the series in the summer at the uptownBasel premises by CEO Baschi Dürr, all attendees had the opportunity to revisit and deepen questions and thoughts in personal conversations.