Artificial Intelligence as The Next Digital Frontier

Introduction

The world is changing at a rapid pace – the increase in population and prices, the change in seasons and trends, yet the emergence of technology – Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been widely discussed nowadays.

'Artificial Intelligence as The Next Digital Frontier'

In the early decades, computers, smartphones, or tablets did not exist. As time goes by, living in the 21st century now, we can see there is a high demand for technology (AI). However, the exponential changes have raised deep concerns in society. According to Ray Kurzweil, a scientist and futurist, he has agreed that “yes, it absolutely is,” in the book The Singularity Is Near saying that “technology is progressing faster than ever before” (Kurzweil, 2005).

This leads me to the question of how the accelerated change in artificial intelligence will impact our society. Firstly, by focusing on the evolution and benefits of AI and how it makes the world a better place. Secondly, by discussing the drawbacks of using AI and whether humans will be replaced by robots.

The Benefits of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) once again broke into people’s field of vision. In 2016, AlphaGo, a computer program developed by Google, defeated the World Go champion Lee Sedol. The global debut of AlphaGo’s AI with “intuitive judgment” was a shock (Silver et al., 2016). This is the beauty of AI – “it enables the computer to accomplish some things that only humans could do in the past, even better and more efficiently than humans, and this is the AI revolution.” A computer program or machine that learns helps people and businesses to easily solve problems. Artificial Intelligence has greatly assisted us in improving productivity, education, and healthcare, among other areas. A research paper published by the McKinsey Global Institute found that in 2016, “estimated around $8 - $12 billion was invested in the development” (Chui et al., 2016). This proves that the power of AI has successfully captured a lot of merchants’ attention, and companies such as Google and Apple have invested heavily, seeing the economic potential AI could bring to their companies. In fact, we could see the trend where companies will follow one another in using and developing AI.

The Risks and Concerns

The world around us does not stay the same; it changes all the time. If we remain stagnant, it would create a feeling of alienation. As AI continues to improve and become incredibly sophisticated, this leads to fear and anxiety about AI. Furthermore, it raises the question of whether one day machines will replace humans, highlighting the importance of Stephen Hawking’s warnings about AI risk. This reminds us of scenes in movies where robots rebel against humanity and create powerful weapons with ease. “It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate,” he stated to BBC in 2014 (Cellan-Jones, 2014). Therefore, “humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded.” Also, Elon Musk has called AI “a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization” (Rawlinson, 2014). This once again proves how fast the world is changing, but on the other hand, it reveals the dangerous rise of automation.

Conclusion

As we delve deeper into the era of AI, it is crucial to weigh its benefits against its risks. While AI promises advancements in various sectors, it also poses significant challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a balanced coexistence between humans and machines.

References

Cellan-Jones, R. (2014, December 2). Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540

Chui, M., Manyika, J., & Miremadi, M. (2016). Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey Global Institute. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/where-machines-could-replace-humans-and-where-they-cant-yet

Kurzweil, R. (2005). The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Viking.

Rawlinson, K. (2014, October 27). Elon Musk: Artificial intelligence is our biggest existential threat. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/27/elon-musk-artificial-intelligence-ai-biggest-existential-threat

Silver, D., Huang, A., Maddison, C. J., Guez, A., Sifre, L., Van Den Driessche, G., ... & Hassabis, D. (2016). Mastering the game of Go with deep neural networks and tree search. Nature, 529(7587), 484-489.