AI and HI have been two competitors since the first AI system was successful. Creation of artificial intelligence is basically the creation of artificial HUMAN intelligence. We strive to create something which can carry out the tasks of humans and think like humans. However, will we be able to control the thinking and working of the same, almost human like intelligent system if we stand eye-to-eye to that creation?
Control, is what separates powerful from the weak. If a king does not have a control over his kingdom, what is the point of him being the king? In the same manner, humans are the most advance species that exist today in this Post-Modern era because of the highly advanced human brain.
Artificial Intelligence is that creation of mankind which was created to bring technology as closer to the human kind as possible. Technology having its own brains, reduction of human effort, imitating humans and modernizing the lives of human beings is the main target of AI.
With the help of AI, we have been achieving miracles since the functionality of the first successful robot that was invented by George Devol in 1954 and was called the Unimate. This became the milestone for field of AI. After that, we are continuously working to create such technology which could easily function like a human being.
Successfully, we find AI almost everywhere. AI has produced robots and devices which have made human life easier and better. From travel to conversation to entertainment, AI has progressed in each and every field of human life. We, at this stage, cannot even imagine a world without AI. Should we call this admixture in human life as a harmonious involvement or a destructive intrusion? The answer depends on its aspects and effects on human life.
According to the futurists and AI experts, the good and bad effects of AI depends on its type and purpose of creation as well as it usage. We need to identify where AI’s help is actually needed instead of just replacing human effort.
An artificially intelligent machine can learn to identify individuals and adjust its operations according to their preference. Personal virtual assistants like Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri have been created to establish a relationship with its user so that it can learn their preferences and provide them their assistance without the user even asking for it.
Also considering the example of the 20-inch tall robot named KURI. This robot was designed to be an enjoyable presence around your house with the robot being capable of interacting with household, fulfilling commands, capturing videos and pictures of significant moment, and playing music or podcast. It can also serve as your eyes around your house in your absence. Such inventions and many more are a remarkable mile stone in AI that improve human life for good.
Despite of all the above capabilities and inventions, we cannot ignore the negative impacts of this approach of modernization through AI. If we compare the human intelligence and development to that of a machine we come across many points to ponder about.
Firstly, we know that AI’s information processing speed is faster than that of a human. If HI diagnoses a disease in 10 minutes of time, then an AI system can give a million diagnoses within the same time. The HI’s diagnosis would be based on past experience while an AI’s diagnosis would be based on calculation and precision of provided knowledge. In addition to this, humans require rest and operational break, but an AI system does not require it.
Also, an AI system, if designed to reproduce, will exponentially replicate itself, but a human obviously lags behind due to slow biological processes. Stephen Hawking expressed his concerns:
“The development of full AI could spell the end of the human race….It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded.”
Along with Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and many other experts of science and technology have expressed their concern about the risks posed by AI. Some of them even estimate that with the same rate of advancement in AI, we will able to create a superhuman intelligence sooner than expected.Creating a superhuman AI is not the problem that concerns these people; the real question that arises is whether humans can create this type of high-fi intelligence safely? Safety is the real problem. Are we 100% sure that this creation can never cause harm to mankind?
The worry of being superseded is caused because this is a competition of intelligence as discussed initially. Intelligence enables control; we control tigers by being smarter than tigers. If we create something that is more intelligent than humans, then it can control us. We have to consider the ways by
which AI always remains under human control.
Recently, Facebook had created two chat bots and made them interact with each other. At first, the bots were talking in human readable language, then, within a few minutes, the conversation went “out of control” when the robots started using different language to talk to each other. When the AI experts studied this language deeper, they found that the robots were actually talking to each other and within a small period of time they had established their own language for conversation.
This example is not to scare the pursuers of AI, the only intention is to direct them towards control solving rather than creation of the new, better and smarter.
Creating new will only increase the number by which the grip will start loosening. The experts worry about the time when the grip will be lost. Before that time, we have to consider this problem seriously and find a solution; whether it is a kill switch or anything but the upper hand control is a real necessity.
Comments