NOWADAYS, technology is proving its prowess in various fields and the opportunities it offers when tapped. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is an example of a technological innovation taking the world by storm.
In simple terms, AI refers to the science of making machines that can think like humans. The technology can process large amounts of data in ways unlike humans. Its goal is to be able to do things such as recognize patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans.
Through AI, users can access significant amounts of data that could help them accomplish their daily tasks. This step into the future has been the topic of many mediums for decades, like debates and science fiction, and it has now become a reality.
AI through the years
One of the early tasks of AI is computing, with its developments intimately linked to the process since the technology became available during the Second World War. It helped delegate duties that only humans could perform before.
From 1940 to 1960, there were significant technological developments as a desire to understand how to combine machine functions and human thought began increasing.
At the start of 1950, John Von Neumann and Alan Turing founded the technology behind AI, transitioning from computers to 19th-century decimal logic dealing with values from 0 to 9 and machines to binary logic.
The two researchers formalized the architecture behind contemporary computers and demonstrated its capability as a universal machine that can execute what is programmed.
Meanwhile, John McCarthy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology coined the term AI, which Marvin Minsky of Carnegie-Mellon University defines as “the construction of computer programs that engage in tasks that are currently more satisfactorily performed by human beings because they require high-level mental processes such as perceptual learning, memory organization, and critical reasoning.”
Eventually, scientists explored the possibility of developing AI with human logic and reasoning to perform more complex tasks.
By 2010, there was a new spike based on massive data and new computing power, which helped AI become more popular among users across the globe. Accessing immense volumes of data allows people to use algorithms for image categories and recognition. A quick search on the internet and other platforms can bring numerous results thanks to AI.
In the meantime, the discovery of very high-efficiency computer graphics card processors to accelerate the calculation of learning algorithms also added to the boom of AI in the modern world.
According to experts, this type of learning enables considerable progress in text recognition. For example, smartphones know how to transcribe instructions and carry them out efficiently but have yet to contextualize the users’ intentions.
Benefits of artificial intelligence
Many private individuals and businesses utilize AI daily because it makes their tasks more productive. There’s no doubt that these systems transformed various industries. With continuous use, people learned to harness the potential of AI and explore its numerous possibilities.
One positive impact of using AI is reducing human error to help save time and resources, while achieving accurate and efficient results. AI also automates repetitive tasks and processes because it enables the automation of routine monotonous tasks such as data collection and data entry, among other functions that take up much of humans’ time. It allows them to focus their resources and energy on other pressing tasks that AI has yet to cover.
Since its inception, AI can still handle significant data that can be challenging for humans. It can make conclusions from the available information in less time while expounding or transforming the data they received.
AI can also facilitate quick decision-making by gathering reliable and valuable insights. Its developments also allow it to perform risky tasks efficiently. For example, some companies rely on robots for sea or space exploration, help rescue operations, and more.
Nearly every industry across the globe has embraced AI because of how it streamlines processes and how it can continue to expand its possibilities.
The negative side of AI
Despite having many advantages that benefit people, there are still some downsides to artificial intelligence.
One main problem is disinformation. Since AI has yet to understand people’s intentions, receiving commands from prompts can only encourage the technology to produce data without sharing the same purposes, making the output prone to disinformation or making it easy for others to alter the results.
An example is the production of deepfakes, which some people or groups use for controversy or disinformation campaigns. Even AI language tools can generate fake texts that could sound as compelling as an authentic one without having a shred of truth.
With disinformation and fake news becoming increasingly prevalent, transparency should take high precedence among AI platforms. AI can be faulty because the input data doesn’t pass through a filter before it reaches users. Whether it’s to generate a written article or code, bugs can cause errors in the material and disrupt the process entirely.
Since AI is available for everyone, there are no legal safeguards for inspection, eroding the rule of law and diminishing individual rights.
Yet, one primary concern about the rise of AI is how it can replace people from doing tasks assigned to them for decades. Numerous countries are experiencing unemployment rates, which have begun to spike because computers save time and resources from major companies.
Transitioning to a more automated world will be a significant challenge for many countries while ensuring workers have the skills and support they need to move toward new opportunities. Having this disadvantage from AI can lead to a growth in income polarization and mass unemployment. Economic insecurity can be a significant threat to governments and cause doubt among the public.
AI has undoubtedly left a significant mark on the public throughout the decades. People have begun welcoming its presence in daily activities, complex or mundane. However, there remains a debate on whether or not it remains an ally or adversary in society.
Despite the advantages and disadvantages of the new technology, people have still yet to categorize AI as good for them or otherwise. With new developments on AI emerging, the jury’s still out and everyone is on the edge of their seats as they await the final verdict about artificial intelligence.