Demand for artificial intelligence surges

AI writing businesses are thriving as the end of the year has prompted a surge in demand for annual summaries.

While some people praise the time-saving benefits of AI writing services, others expressed concerns about the potential for opportunistic shortcuts.

As AI content creation proves to be a quick and convenient tool, questions have arisen about where the boundaries lie.

Vendors on e-commerce platforms are capitalizing on the surge in demand, with prices ranging from 0.5 yuan ($0.07) to 50 yuan.

Most sell an account number for AI writing websites, and several vendors boast monthly sales exceeding 1,000 orders, with few negative reviews.

The feedback includes: "I've always struggled with writing, so I thought about trying out artificial intelligence. I searched for AI and was surprised by the incredible results. It is truly amazing. It was a great help."

"The AI writing is powerful, generating articles with strong logic. The store owner even taught me exclusive methods to generate longer articles, which is impressive. It solved many problems for me."

"It's easy to use. It never runs out of inspiration, eliminating tedious work. The key is that its functionality is powerful — it can understand what I want to express and provide solutions that cater to my taste."

"The tools are so good. Everyone should know how useful it is. I used to not believe in all this nonsense about AI threatening humanity, but after using this AI software, I believe it now."

Zhao Jingwu, an associate professor of law at Beihang University, highlighted the advantages of AI but stressed the importance of limited usage.

While AI efficiently handles repetitive, modular tasks, overreliance on it is undesirable, he said.

Zhao said that AI, being a technological tool, should be used judiciously to achieve optimal results.

He particularly warned against excessive dependence on AI in educational and scientific fields, where critical thinking and independent analytical skills are crucial for development.

Zhao proposed limiting AI functionalities in specific domains and applications.

"There is a way to deal with the issue. The most effective technological governance path is for the developers to impose self-restrictions on certain functionalities and algorithm models of AI," he said.

For example, OpenAI is addressing concerns about personal information leakage by refusing to fulfill requests that involve outputting specific personal information of individuals, he said.

"AI's future lies in diverse applications, especially in assisting marginalized communities in achieving tasks previously deemed unattainable. This could be the best manifestation of technology serving the greater good," Zhao said.

AI is expected to provide everyone with a "personal assistant," freeing people from repetitive tasks such as summarizing documents and enabling them to engage in more creative work, he said.

In the early years of the internet, there were concerns about machines replacing human labor.

However, history has shown that as long as machines are used as assistants, it does not result in people being "less inclined to work", he added.

"Instead, AI reshapes the entire social production system and encourages humans to engage in more creative labor activities through changes in employment structures," he said.