President Franklin D. Roosevelt said at the beginning of World War II, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Well, he wasn’t facing the arrival of artificial intelligence.
So, should we fear artificial intelligence, or is it just something we need to understand and use effectively to improve the quality of our life? Or will it overwhelm our ability to control and manage our career direction or jobs in general? It depends upon who you listen to or believe, and your ability to adapt to the new technology.
One definition of artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer program to learn, think and act.
Here are some of the positives for artificial intelligence:
• Increased productivity, especially with repetitive tasks like sorting, cataloging, inventorying, tracking, computing, controlling, monitoring, documenting and recording.
• Reduces errors since it doesn’t get tired, takes no coffee breaks, works 24/7 without complaint and is designed to do one or multiple tasks well, with precision.
• Is risk-free when the task is dangerous, like finding and destroying a bomb, containing hazardous situations with chemicals or fire or exploring a cave or space.
• Can interface with humans with simple problem-solving duties such as customer service issues, banking questions, information retrieval or directing an inquiry.
• Makes decisions faster when given the correct information, or produces alternatives, pros and cons, and implications to different decisions and show potential downsides.
• Can create reports, scripts, documents or analytical statements more quickly and accurately than one with a human intervention.
Here are some of the negatives for artificial intelligence:
• The cost of creating and maintaining upgrades and updates. Errors may be infrequent, but when they occur, the cost of fixing and repairing the damage is high.
• Outside-the-box thinking is diminished as AI doesn’t create innovation. A computer program repeats what it’s been taught but doesn’t create unique or original material.
• It has the potential to make humans either lazy or lack the incentive to work. Example? Students today are unable to do simple math without a calculator.
• With artificial intelligence replacing humans in everyday jobs, unemployment may become a major issue. Over 50% of jobs are projected to be affected by AI.
• Computers do not have compassion, feelings, emotions nor the ability to make human judgements. They don’t make human attachments nor create teamwork.
• Computers do not have a code of ethics, a sense of humor or morality. In a state of war, human life has no value.
Any new invention or technology can be used for good or evil, from the splitting of the atom (think atomic bomb to nuclear energy) to the rise of the internet (from helpful information and interaction to social media bullying). We need to monitor and control artificial intelligence so the good outpaces and overwhelms the bad. History has not shown us to have a good track record.
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