QUO VADIS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

Foreword

Rarely a week passes without announcements that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has achieved new capabilities. Since the arrival of Generative AI, ChatGPT, and subsequent Large Language Models (LLMs)  discussion of AI's proliferating uses and their implications is increasingly visible in mainstream media.

AI is heavily impacting both local communities and global society and is set to radically transform the way we live, work, and interact with each other  as AI can be applied to virtually any sector of the economy and society, from healthcare to judiciary to candidate’s recruitment process.

The consequences of AI on our society have to be carefully analysed, especially when it comes to education, labour market, ethics and the need for regulatory frameworks.

Rapid progress in AI is arousing fear as well as excitement. How worried should we be? Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop non-human minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart and replace us? Should we risk loss of control of our civilisation?

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is a branch of computer science  aiming to create intelligent machines that can replicate human thinking and can perform specific functions, such as speech recognition, knowledge learning, perception and reasoning, thus being able to solve problems or manipulate and move objects. AI is a key part of the digital transition and it can be a useful tool to tackle today’s most pressing challenges, among which an ageing world population, climate change and socio-economic inequality.

Some AI programs can learn from their past by analysing complex sets of data and improve their performance without the help of humans to refine their programming.

As AI has boomed in recent years, it’s become commonplace in both business and everyday life. People use AI every day to make their lives easier, interacting with AI-powered virtual assistants or programs. Companies use AI to streamline their production processes, project gains and losses, and predict when maintenance will have to occur.

The Current Status of AI

AI is not a new concept, as it has been studied and developed since the mid-20th century. However, AI has gained more attention and momentum in the 21st century with the exponential growth of data. According to IBM, 90% of the world’s data was created in the last two years, and the amount of data is expected to double every two years.

Moreover, the emergence of specialized hardware, such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), has boosted the performance of AI applications together with the innovation of algorithms and methods, which improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

AI has rapidly emerged as a transformative technology in the field of Information Technology (IT). With advancements in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics, AI is reshaping the IT landscape and revolutionizing various industries.

Businesses across different industries embrace AI technology to improve their operations, gain a competitive edge, and unlock new opportunities. However, the increasing adoption of AI also poses some challenges that must be addressed.

The opportunities range from streamlining, saving time, eliminating automating repetitive tasks, just to name a few. The challenges are things like  potential human job loss, and lack of emotion and creativity. So where do we net out? Let's have a look at it.

Opportunities

Opportunities extend from medicine to pharmaceutical products, entertainment, corporate banking, retailing, and commerce. In the field of pharmaceutical and medicine, AI could usher in a future of innovation in diagnosis and could reshape the field of patient treatment care.

Beyond medicine, AI can improve efficiency, productivity, and accuracy in a variety of industries, from healthcare and finance to transportation and manufacturing. AI can also help to tackle some of the world's biggest challenges, such as climate change and disease prevention. Finally, AI has the potential to transform the way we work and live, offering new opportunities for innovation.

AI programs are available at all times, whereas humans work 8 hours a day. Machines can work all through the day and night, and AI-powered chatbots can provide customer service even during off-hours. This can help companies to produce more and provide a better customer experience than humans could provide alone.

As already stressed, AI can work around the clock, creating more value in the same day as a human worker. And since AI can help to take over manual and tedious tasks, it frees up workers for higher-skilled tasks. That, ultimately, creates more value for the end-user or consumer.

AI isn’t just about efficiency and streamlining laborious tasks. Thanks to Machine Learning and Deep Learning, AI applications can learn from data and results in near real time. AI offers the ability to analyse new information from multiple sources and adapt accordingly, with a level of accuracy that's far beyond human capability. This potential to self-optimise and self-learn means AI can continually compound the benefits it generates.

Challenges

While AI could perform tasks better than humans, it should be stated that AI has the potential for misinformation and risks in the social, economic and political spheres. Moreover, AI tools could not protect individuals from what has been referred to in social discourse as hallucinations.

AI tools produce hallucinations and misinformation that could be used by others as facts and not be considered as opinions. Thus, AI tools could create incorrect falsehoods.

One of the biggest challenges in AI is the ethical and moral implications of using AI. As AI becomes more powerful, there are concerns about its potential impact on society, including issues around bias, privacy, and security. There is also a concern about job displacement as AI takes over tasks traditionally performed by humans. Another challenge is the complexity of developing and maintaining AI system.

The next disadvantage of AI is that it lacks the human ability to use emotion and creativity in decisions. The lack of creativity means AI can’t create new solutions to problems or excel in any overly artistic field. At the present stage of AI development, it can be programmed to create novel ideas, but not original ones.

Until AI can create original and unexpected ideas, it won't overtake humans in the ability to be creative, which means it will be hindered in its decision-making. If a company is looking for a new or creative solution to a problem, humans are better capable of providing that solution.

As AI becomes more commonplace at companies, it may decrease available jobs, since AI can easily handle repetitive tasks that were previously done by workers. AI will thus create new jobs but  the problem is to train humans on these new jobs, or leaving workers behind with the surge in technology.

Last but not least, the rapid creation and implementation of AI lead to a myriad of ethical questions about its use and continued growth. One of the most common ethical problems people cite is concerns around consumer data privacy. The persistence of data poses many problems for the informed consent of the humans to whom the data belong. Not to mention, since AI is good at recognizing patterns, it can gather data on people even without direct access to personal information. So the question is: how to protect consumer privacy with the rapid evolution of AI?

The future trends of Artificial Intelligence

What will be AI's impact in the next few years? It is likely that human life will speed up, behaviours will change and industries will be transformed.

One of the biggest trends in AI is the development of deep learning algorithms. These algorithms use neural networks to learn from vast amounts of data, making it possible for machines to recognize patterns and make predictions with high accuracy. Another trend is the integration of AI with other technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), which is creating a world where machines are connected and can communicate with each other in real-time.

In the future, AI will help to produce self-driving cars which are expected to be safer. Some companies are looking towards incorporating AI technology to generate self-driving trucks, buses, taxis, and planes.

Digital assistance features can help save your time and make your life easier. One day, our credit cards  may be linked to our face. It can make our daily life more efficient and saving us time. Since AI is a human-like robot, it is capable of doing complex interactions.

AI can thus become very useful because it can do dangerous jobs and work that required health risks. For example, drones and other robots are performing risky tasks, which they are controlled by using a remote.

AI can also take care of the people who need supervision, such as children or elders. Elders can stay at home so they can feel more comfortable and don’t have to move around too much.

Need to educate on AI

A lot of people are yet to grasp AI for what it truly is which is why there is the need to educate. AI has the ability to make life-changing decisions so  that people will sometimes use AI for a particular purpose because they can, and not because it is a good idea.

It is widely believed that AI and Big Data will continue to be one of most potentially disruptive combinations in the digital world. As the world’s data grows exponentially, AI capabilities will track close behind, with far-reaching implications that are becoming clearer and increasingly adopted by the day.

However, there are some technologies like 5G that are set to have a major effect on our ability to leverage AI in meaningful ways. This is largely due to the fact there will be an abundance of real-time data for ingestion and learning.

How to worry wisely about artificial intelligence

By 2026 machines will likely be capable of writing school essays; by 2027 self-driving trucks will render drivers unnecessary; by 2031 AI will outperform humans in the retail sector; by 2049 AI could be the next Stephen King and by 2053 the next Charlie Teo. By 2137, all human jobs will be automated. But what of humans themselves? Sipping umbrella drinks served by droids?              

On March 22, 2023 the Future of Life Institute, an NGO, asked in an open letter to pause Giant AI Experiments: “AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, as shown by extensive research and acknowledged by top AI labs. We call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4”.

This open letter was signed by tech luminaries including Elon Musk. It is the most prominent example yet of how rapid progress in AI has sparkled anxiety about the potential dangers of the technology.

In particular, new “Large Language Models” (LLMs) - the sort that powers ChatGPT,  a chatbot made by Open AI - have surprised even their creators with their unexpected talents as they have been scaled up. Such emergent abilities include everything from solving logic puzzles and writing computer code to identifying films from plot summaries written in emoji.

Such proposals was rejected to the dismay of Elon Musk and colleagues.

We will never know if AI develops itself to have the intelligence, emotions, and thoughts just like humans, and we can never do anything to stop it, since everyday we are still trying to develop and improve AI. Thus, humans should be more aware of the ability and intelligence of AI before they decide to employ, use  and fully  trust AI in their life because this could eventually lead to the end of humanity.                                                                    

Furthermore, the explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies’ capabilities has ushered in a new era in national security. Today, a hostile nation could develop the capacity to launch an AI-powered cyberattack that silently infiltrates power grids, financial systems and communication networks simultaneously, plunging regions into darkness, disrupting economies and sowing chaos.                                              

Security experts and policymakers need specific skills and knowledge to effectively respond to the unprecedented challenges AI is bringing to each nation's security landscape.

Striking a Balance between AI and Human Intervention

AI’s potential is undeniable. But so is the unique value of human intuition and emotion. Striking the right balance will be essential for long-term adoption.

Automated systems may handle data crunching, but humans provide context, empathy, and judgment. The key? AI complements, rather than replaces, human capabilities. Because when it comes to decisions we still need that human touch. Computers can handle a little more than 10,000 words. So, a few million neurons. But human brains have billions of neurons that are connected in a very intriguing and complex way, and the current state-of-the-art is just straightforward connections following very easy patterns.

So going from a few million neurons to billions of neurons with current hardware and software technologies is not happening. The real threat from AI isn’t malice, like in silly Hollywood movies, but competence: AI accomplishing goals that just aren't aligned with ours.

So, while AI offers precise, data-informed suggestions, the human touch grounds these decisions. Embracing AI's speed and the depth of human understanding will be instrumental in shaping a future where technology enhances, not replaces, our inherent human strengths.

The future of artificial intelligence technology holds great promise for improving our lives, driving innovation, and solving complex business problems.

It’s an exciting time to be at the forefront of AI research and development as we shape a future where machines and humans work hand in hand to create a better world. Industry 5.0 foresees the human-machine interaction (HMI)  through the creation of Cobots (Collaborative Robots).

Implementing Cobots will allow the execution of manual tasks in human-cobot collaborative teams to reduce waste within manufacturing systems. The work is carried out in collaboration between humans and machines.

Considerations

AI is poised to change the world, and it’s essential to understand the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations that come with it. As AI technology continues to advance, it is crucial to strike a balance between progress and responsibility to ensure that the benefits of AI are maximized, and the risks are minimized.

By embracing AI technology and addressing its challenges and ethical considerations, we can create a future where AI can improve our lives and make the world a better place.

The study of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a continuous endeavour of scientists and engineers for over 65 years. The simple contention is that human-created machines can do more than just labour-intensive work; they can develop human-like intelligence. Being aware or not, AI has penetrated into our daily lives, playing novel roles in industry, healthcare, transportation, education, and many more areas that are close to the general public.

AI is believed to be one of the major drives to change socio-economical lives. In another aspect, AI contributes to the advancement of state-of-the-art technologies in many fields of study, as helpful tools for groundbreaking research. However, the prosperity of AI as we witness today was not established smoothly.

During the past decades, AI has struggled through historical stages with several winters. Therefore, at this juncture, to enlighten future development, it is time to discuss the past, present, and have an outlook on AI.

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science: these are the terms that have begun to dominate the technology scene in recent years, from Silicon Valley (USA) to Shenzen (China).

Today's AI is capable of: generating and editing any images and photos based on text; creating videos based on a submitted script; inventing new clothing and shoe styles; designing furniture; solving tasks from the International Mathematical Olympiad; imitating human voice and facial expressions based on a provided short recording...

Conclusion

AI technology is now in its early stages and growing fast and we should move to minimize its risks. Technological firms should not resist the demand from governments and other stakeholders to work together to mitigate and reduce the negative impact of AI tools. Rather, they should want the feedback and the input of all stakeholders and members of society in the early formative years of AI usage.

AI is moving so fast you can’t afford to take a wait-and-see approach. AI and Machine Learning Technologies are rapidly transforming society and will continue to do so in the coming decades. This social transformation will have deep ethical impact, with these powerful new technologies both improving and disrupting human lives.

AI, as the externalization of human intelligence, offers us in amplified form everything that humanity already is, both good and evil. Much is at stake. At this crossroads in history we should think very carefully about how to make this transition, or we risk empowering the grimmer side of our nature, rather than the brighter.

In summary, although artificial intelligence has many benefits, it has many cons as well and it can affect our future life in both good and bad ways. If there is more use of AI it can help us in many ways in our daily life and make it more efficient, such as digital assistants, hard-working, difficult exploration, and so much more.

To fully capitalize on the potential of AI in IT, collaboration between stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, will be crucial. By proactively addressing the challenges and leveraging AI’s capabilities, we can create a future where Artificial Intelligence empowers humanity to achieve unprecedented progress in the digital age.