Recalibrating merit in the age of Artificial Intelligence
- Meritocracy, rewarding individuals based on abilities and achievements, has been extensively debated on its societal impacts.
- The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces new complexities, reshaping traditional notions of merit and meritocracy.
Critiques of Meritocracy
- Michael Young, a British sociologist, foresaw a dystopian meritocratic world in his satirical book, The Rise of the Meritocracy (1958).
- He envisioned a future, specifically 2034, as a society where social class and mobility were determined solely by intelligence and effort.
- Sandel argues that meritocracy fosters a sense of entitlement among the successful and resentment among those left behind, thereby eroding social cohesion.
Post-Structuralist Perspective
- Critical theorists and post-structuralists challenge meritocracy for masking power dynamics.
- They say that meritocracy can perpetuate social hierarchies by legitimising the status of the elite under the guise of fairness and neutrality.
- They argue that concepts of merit are socially constructed and reflect the biases and interests of those in power.
- On the other hand, Adrian Wooldridge acknowledges meritocracy's potential for reform but highlights unintended consequences such as hereditary privileges.
AI's Disruptive Influence on Meritocracy
- Introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into this equation completely complicates the idea of reforming meritocracy.
- AI, with its rapidly evolving capabilities, will be reshaping merit and the idea of meritocracy in six ways.
- AI, by its very nature, challenges human-centric definitions of merit.
- Access to AI tools becomes a determinant of advantage, overshadowing traditional notion of individual merit.
- AI trained on historical data can perpetuate and even exacerbate biases present in that data, leading to discriminatory outcomes.
- AI's ability to perform tasks (that involve routine, predictable tasks) previously done by humans leads to job displacement.
- AI polarises the workforce into high-skill, high-wage roles and low-skill, low-wage jobs, exacerbating socioeconomic disparities.
- The opaque nature of many AI algorithms, coupled with the concentration of power in a few tech giants, poses significant challenges to accountability.
Reimagining Meritocracy in the AI Era
- Recalibrating meritocracy in the face of AI advancements demands a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between technology and societal structures.
- It calls for a reevaluation of how merit is defined and rewarded in light of AI's capabilities and societal implications.