“I’m not worried” – USC expert weighs in on AI debate

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Concerns regarding the potential dangers of AI continues to grow – with national tech leaders and politicians speaking out.

ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams sought out a local perspective from someone who has over 30 years of experience in artificial intelligence research.

“I’m not worried about this thing!” says University of South Carolina Professor Biplav Srivastava, who has studied AI’s usability and application — most recently performing research to see if robots can explain their own actions.

When Srivastava was asked on a scale of 1 to 10, where he would place his concern, with 10 being the most concerned, he responded with, “Six.” He believes the opportunities AI presents far outweighs its dangers with the potential for environmental solutions, chemical manufacturing, medicine, and cancer treatments.

“Based on actual ground work, I can say that this is a ripe area for a lot of research which means a lot of problems are there, and yet, this is an area where we can deploy them for really hard problems. So I’m really excited for generative areas of technology. My colleagues and I are working on various areas where we can use it for chemical manufacturing, for medicine, and many other things. So it’s really what you want to focus your mind on,” he says.

His expertise has now come into full focus in recent months — as figureheads sound the alarm on potential AI dangers.

“But the point is, that is not the only possible future,” says Srivastava, adding, “This is a very promising tool. So I feel like it can be employed very well. That’s why I am not in the bracket of people who are overly worried about it,” he says, adding, “We have worked with automotive, before that was x-ray, next came airlines, and then nuclear energy. So we have as a community, we know how to work with technology, how to have regulations, engage communities, students, industry, so this is not the first time and it won’t necessarily be the last.”

Srivastava also finds that as with anything else in life, folks should not trust technology blindly — just like you would not trust people blindly, he says. He encourages everyone to ask questions, evaluate, and make their own judgement going forward.

“If my intent is not to harm anyone, then no matter how much of the technology is there, I will not harm anyone, and if my intent is to harm someone, no matter the technology, I will find a way to harm someone. So at the end of the day, it is about people with people. It’s never about people technology versus people,” he says.

As a way of reaching out to the community to lower worries around AI, he and other experts will be holding a free senior citizens event inside the Science and Technology Building on USC’s campus on October 23rd.

Location: AI Institute, 5th floor, 1112 Greene St., Columbia, South Carolina
Date: October 23, 2026, Friday; 9:30 am-4pm

Format: In-person, with virtual attendance option available
Registration link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/safe-ai-for-seniors-sais-2026-tickets-1998617526824

Sponsors are also welcome regarding the event:

We are inviting sponsors to join us in making this initiative impactful. Seniors are a fast-growing yet
underserved community in the AI conversation, and the second event will directly address their concerns
in health, cybersecurity, and climate change & growth challenges. Sponsorships will directly support:
● Transportation: to and from the event location for senior citizens, parking, special needs for
differently abled
● Lunch and snacks on event day
● Logistics: AV equipment and hall booking, parking, cleanup
Contributions can be made through the University of South Carolina Foundation, a registered non-profit.
Sponsors will be acknowledged throughout the event and in any post-event report or documentation. This
is an opportunity to stand with us in shaping a safer, more equitable AI future that benefits everyone,
including those most at risk of being left behind.