This discussion is based off the PBS Frontline documentary, “In the Age of AI.” To watch this documentary, visit this link:
PBS Frontline: In the Age of AI
Questions for Discussion
- When Kai-Fu Lee says, “Data is the new oil,” and “China is the Saudi Arabia of data,” what did he mean with those statements? Can you describe at least three ways that companies or governments with data monopolies have benefitted from having those resources over other companies or governments, especially now in 2026? Keeping in mind this documentary was released in 2019, most of it filmed from 2015 to 2018, how has data collection, mining, and prediction changed our world in both physical and virtual ways?
- From your perspective as a user or non-user of social media or search indexing technology, do you think social media, searching or website (cookies) tracking of US citizens is important in the race to become a leader in artificial intelligence for the United States, or is that tracking/collection an invasion of privacy and individual rights in our country? Should our government and private entities be more up front about data collection in the US (social media, Flock cameras, etc.)? What about in other countries? Why is data collection in the United States different than in more authoritarian states like China, etc.?
- Can you think of a few careers you might consider pursuing when you graduate from college or graduate school? Once you have a few ideas, visit https://willrobotstakemyjob.com/ and plug in those career ideas to see their overall risk to being replaced by automation. How vulnerable are those potential careers to automation? Can you think of 2-3 careers that existed in 1950 that do not exist today? How about 1990? How about 2020? List all the jobs from those years/decades that have become redundant and replaced by automation.
- We live in a remarkable time where nation-states, private companies, and publicly traded companies are vying to become the leaders of AI technologies. What challenges do you foresee your generation will have to face when it comes to nation-states look to becoming AI leaders and potentially use that technology against other nations? Who do you see as the key players in that race? In your opinion, how will that shape diplomatic economic relationships between the United States, the European Union, the Russian federation states and China?
- How have services like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc. changed the landscape of learning? You are currently enrolled in a computer science course. What made you want to learn computer science? What other essential foundations of learning do you think will be replaced by AI (if they haven’t already)? Of those foundations, do you think it is a good thing that humans would/would not need to learn that skill? Explain your answers.
AS A REMINDER, please cite the URL of whatever sources you use to answer these questions.