Artificial Intelligence has quickly taken over the internet as one of the most popular topics. Many people are welcoming the advanced technology that was created to make our lives easier. However, the other side believes it is a grave mistake to let this type of intelligence take over.
Let’s face it—many movies exist that depict Artificial Intelligence—or AI—as something scary. AI robots taking over the world, writers’ jobs, and even factory line work. But is it all bad?
This is the relevant information you need to know about AI to make the decision for yourself:
What is AI?
Artificial Intelligence is the ability of a computer-controlled robot or computer to perform tasks in the way of human beings. These machines are capable of learning patterns, the ability to reason, generalizations, discover meanings, learn from experience, and process characteristics of humans.
Although AI can closely replicate a human being and their respective patterns, no program has perfectly captured human flexibility beyond the specific tasks it was designed for. However, some developed programs have perfectly matched the performance level of human experts.
What are the Benefits of AI?
Many benefits of AI exist. The most important benefit of AI may be its positive impact on medical progression. AI has the ability to perform tasks in a more efficient way than humans alone.
A great example of AI in the medical field is the monitoring of a patient’s glucose level. Monitoring these levels can save lives without the patient ever having to step foot in a doctor’s office. This flexibility of real-time data greatly reduces stress and increases the ability to fix an issue before it has time to manifest.
More benefits of AI include:
- Improved customer experiences
- Performance of repetitive tasks
- Research and data analysis
- Minimization of errors
- Automation
- Smart decision-making
- Enhancing safety on roads
- Transforming the financial sector
- Increasing efficiency in the Pharma industry
- And more
Downfalls of AI
In contrast to the benefits of AI, some downfalls do exist. One of the biggest complaints of AI is the lack of humanistic touch. Although some programs are intrinsically designed to match the levels of a human, many people complain it lack creativity. A machine can never fully duplicate the creativity of a person.
More downfalls of AI include:
- Ethical issues
- Unemployment
- Lack of transparency
- Biased and discriminatory algorithms
- Disinformation and misinformation
- Profiling
- Environmental impact
- Big Tech companies’ control
- And more
Should We Be Afraid of AI?
One of the concepts people seem to fear the most about AI is unemployment. Thousands of people are worried about their jobs being replaced by AI—and it is already happening. Between AI and ChatGPT, many writers fear for their careers as AI can generate a 1000-word essay in a matter of seconds. Many employers and businesses, however, are not interested in using these bots.
Elon Musk recently shared his opinion on Artificial Intelligence. He shared that he despises AI and believes that one day, it will outsmart human beings. He has also implicitly warned everyone about the looming dangers of AI and called for a halt on development as it will inevitably cause “civilization destruction”.
Analysts have researched the potential impact of AI and shared that it lacks judgment, analytical ability, human empathy, and intuition. This can be dangerous to humans as decision-making is heavily influenced by these factors. AI lacks the ability to properly analyze and make decisions any other way besides pre-programmed algorithms. This can lead to a catastrophe of magnanimous proportions.
Bottom Line
Although many people are rooting for AI and applaud the efficiency it affords them, others are not convinced. The discrepancy between the two sides makes it difficult to know what will truly happen in the future regarding artificial intelligence.
AI can greatly increase productivity, conduct data analysis of endless information, and even enhance both medical and on-the-road safety. However, the risks may outweigh the rewards. AI lacks human empathy and the ability to be fully human, is killing off jobs, is biased, and provides disinformation and misinformation.
Time will only tell whether or not AI is a good idea in the long run.
