In 1930, a scientist called Alan Turing introduced the idea of machines that could think. After that, in the 1950s, a couple of scientist from a variety of fields started discussing the idea of making a machine that could think. The field of Artificial intelligence Research was then established in 1956. What is Artificial intelligence? Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is the attempt to make machines and computers think and act as humans do. It’s like giving machines brains. There are so many questions that could be asked here. In what ways would Artificial intelligence help humans? Will it only be helpful? Alternatively, will it be the world’s doom? These questions have been around for a long time. Yet the public didn’t agree on one point of view. Some are entirely against the development of Artificial intelligence, and others think that it’s imperative for them to establish and advance it because, in their point of view, it’ll make human life much more comfortable. Both of these points of views seem legitimate. Hence, there is no chance Artificial Intelligence would harm the human race as much as help it move forward and ameliorate their lives.
Technology has been developing rapidly over the past decade. Ever since George Devol introduced the first operable and programmable robot in 1954, robots have been improving so fast. They don’t just move things anymore; robots reached a stage where they can sense, see, move and even manipulate what they see. Besides using robots in jobs that need strength, companies are using them to do even simpler tasks which need a little bit of intelligence. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, robots now can use language, have the ability to reason, and even formulate original ideas. One of the fields Artificial Intelligence in robotics can be used in, is in space. Artificially Intelligent robots can help us take a huge step forward in space exploration. AI has been used in space for a long time now. For example, The Earth Observer 1 Satellite (EO-1), launched in the early 2000s, was responsible for observing, analyzing and taking pictures of natural phenomena like volcanic eruptions and floods. In many cases, Artificial Intelligence in this satellite was able to take pictures even before the ground crew was aware that an occurrence is taking place. As Leopold Summerer, the head of the Advanced Concepts and Studies Office at ESA, said: “AI is already a game-changer that has made scientific research and exploration much more efficient. We are not just talking about a doubling but about a multiple of ten”. Also, when AI becomes fully functional and independent, it can take its own decisions when it comes to exploring far planets and moons, since making a connection between the spaceship and earth is hard because of the vast distance between them.
Artificial Intelligence in medical surgeries is another field where AI can make a huge difference. Is the doctor not there? No problem, this AI robot will take care of the patient. Doctors can remotely control the robots to do the task without him being around. When used in this field, robots have no chance of making a mistake. They would be much efficient and accurate than human doctors. In addition to being more precise, AI robots wouldn’t get tired. Many soldiers die during the battle, just because there is no medical assistance. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, robots could be sent to battles to efficiently assist and help the wounded and injured soldiers get the treatments they need to survive. What if in the future, every house could have a doctor, a personal doctor, which doesn’t charge you for taking care of you whenever you want or need, you just buy it once, and that’s it. A doctor by your side, whenever, wherever, and forever.
Expert systems is another critical field where Artificial Intelligence can be implemented. Expert systems gain and use human expertise by using information technology. This will centralize the decision-making process. It can hold an enormous amount of storage, provide answers for questions that are hard and repetitive. The time needed to solve problems will be much faster, thus providing efficiency, and reducing the number of errors humans make. And most importantly, it would combine diverse human expertise and intelligence.
When it comes to making mistakes, Artificial Intelligence would never make an error. Calculating and solving hard problems, designing and building something, and performing surgeries would never be more accurate and precise if done by an Artificial Intelligence machine. These machines won’t make mistakes because they will be able to have the experience and knowledge of so many human experts and scientists. Its knowledge will merely have no boundaries.
“Hey Siri I book me a suit in Hilton Las Vegas,” and in a matter of seconds, your suit will be booked and ready for you. This is one of many things Siri, a virtual assistant, can do for you like sending a text or email, transferring money, translating a text, even reading your messages and even setting up a meeting. All of these abilities Siri got, comes from the company Apple just scratching the surface of Artificial Intelligence. Imagine what would digital assistants be able to do in the next couple of years when AI gets better and better.
Another field where Artificial Intelligence will be very helpful is when it is used in education. AI could be used for grading, which will save so much time for the teachers. Educational software can also be adapted to the student specific needs. The system will analyze the needs of the student, and emphasize on the tasks and topics this specific student hasn’t mastered yet. By analyzing the data from all the students, AI would recommend where courses of study should be improved. It can also help tutor students after analyzing their data, allowing them to work at their own pace. The idea of making a mistake or failing in something is paralyzing for students. Moreover, the best way to learn is to make mistakes. If the tutor were an AI, the students wouldn’t have this fear of failing or making a mistake because they’re now studying in a judgment-free environment.
On the other hand, Artificial Intelligence is known for its information gathering speed and scale. It will have access to everything, literally everything. Many people have this concern. What if AI used our private data against us? What if someone else got access to our data through AI? Knowing that it will be able to know every single thing about us. For example, it can affect our privacy simply by data manipulation, identification and tracking, speech and facial recognition, guessing and outlining our personality and moods by merely analyzing the way we move, speak, act, or even type.
Another disadvantage of Artificial Intelligence is the threat of unemployment. AI robots, machines and computers might endanger jobs of so many people simply because AI-powered devices would be able to perform any human task. Moreover, it would be cheaper and more efficient for companies to use AI for work rather than human beings just because of the error reduction and time-saving it would provide. Also because it won’t cost them as much as a human worker would do.
Last but not least, the most feared consequence of Artificial Intelligence is it making a revolution. This somehow makes sense. What would a super smart machine or robot, that can do anything by itself, need humans for? Nothing. Then what would prevent them from making a revolution and try to overcome humans, control or even eliminate them? In the end, human beings are just creatures with no benefit to the machines. They might even think of humans as a threat to them. Just like humans took over the earth which was just for animals, the same thing could happen to them. And if that were to happen, it would be so easy for them to do so. Stephen Hawking, one of the smartest scientists ever, once said, “It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate.” This shows how future development of robots taking on emotions will soon create an evolutionary catastrophe. Professor Hawking states how he himself fears about the soon consequences of these creations. He believes that we are creating something that can outweigh humans. Another statement that Hawking has made was, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of human race.”
Summing up, Artificial Intelligence has a couple of disadvantages, yet it will not only improve the way we think or live our lives but will also help us explore new horizons. Also, the adverse effects it might have are nothing compared to the enormous benefits it will give. As Alan Turing also said: “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”