'We all deserve a voice in how AI is used'
Margaret CollingA grandmother-of-three who had never used artificial intelligence (AI) is now one of the champions behind a new awareness campaign.
Margaret Colling, from Morecambe in Lancashire, said joining a four-day a course about the technology was the start of her "amazing AI adventure".
The retired librarian said she learnt about AI being used to make decisions about people's benefits and healthcare, to scam emails and how her grandchildren used it for schoolwork through the Let's Talk AI campaign.
Project leader, Dr Susan Oman, said: "Concern is growing with AI, but so are people's hopes for how it will change our lives for the better."
'Losing our common sense'
Dr Oman, from the University of Sheffield, said fake news and videos "are getting harder to spot, so we're pushing for labels saying what's AI generated and what isn't".
"But crucially it's about getting people to stop and think 'does this really feel real?'.
"We're losing our common sense as we get caught up in this endless stream of content and Let's Talk AI is trying to raise our baseline awareness."
She said the campaign was "meant to raise people's awareness of both the pros of AI and the cons of AI and how to know when we're using it and when it's being used on us".
Her team spent six months "talking to people up and down the country finding out what they want to know about AI" which followed a year-long project speaking to thousands of people to try and understand "what their hopes and fears are".
Ms Colling said she came back from the course "and realised that everyone around me knew as little as I'd known before I went" about artificial intelligence.
"As a former librarian I've always believed information should be for everyone, and right now when it comes to AI, it isn't," she told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"What frustrates me most is that there is information out there, but it's all wrapped up in jargon.
"No one is explaining any of this to ordinary people.
"We're all affected by AI so we all deserve a voice in how it's used."
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