AI – Future perfect or future tense?
My morning today started with a piece of startling news that literally swept me off my feet. The news of a driverless car causing a major accident causing major casualties. This news immediately laid down seeds of a discussion that was waiting to turn explosive – whether we really need such experiments? What is the need for such artificial intelligence that can defy all forms of other intelligence and lead to catastrophic consequences? Well, I must admit that this argument is not totally out of place but I am taking this liberty to differ. This immediately brings to the next question which is the subject matter of this article – Artificial Intelligence – boon or bane?
Artificial Intelligence – boon or bane?
Each country today is competing to become an epitome of AI. Like it or hate it, but the future of global economies depends to a large extent on development and penetration of artificial intelligence and all walks of life. Trials are being conducted and experiments are being carried out everywhere in a bid to outclass one another. Be it medical science involving complex surgeries, fields of engineering, commerce, core operating systems – all are evolving and willing to offer a handshake to artificial intelligence.
But, as they say, every coin has two sides – the darker and the fairer and AI is no exception to it. The fairer side of AI is obviously the fact that it involves minimal human intelligence and involvement which makes it more formidable, less prone to errors, higher accuracy rates, competitiveness and transcending all boundaries. Limitations of human intelligence are more than overcome by Artificial intelligence and with the help of artificial intelligence, human intelligence can explore and exploit such areas where even dreams fall short of. Imagine a robot performing a liver transplant surgery with utmost precision or a tool writing this article in 1/10th of the time that I take and with zero spelling errors. Imagine an aircraft being repaired by a robot with spotless precision or imagine a software that performs all financial functions at the press of a button and can give various analytical reports that can help the management of an entity in taking key policy decisions. But wait before we jump to any conclusion and plan to declare Artificial Intelligence as the biggest breakthrough ever witnessed by mankind, let us understand that there is a flip side also. Just as every action has an equal and opposite reaction, AI also has inherent flaws and risks that need to be managed with care and with support from human intelligence.
Over dependence on AI can lead to damages beyond repair like the accident I read in the news. Further, every technological development can through budgets of any developed economy out of gear. With focus on development of AI, budgets will tend to get compromised and this may lead to shrinking of budgets on other vital arms of any business that may be equally essential and deserving. One biggest victim of fastest growing AI and overdependence on it will be human resource. With more and more emphasis on AI and its penetration in every nook and corner, humans will tend to get replaced. Particularly unskilled manpower may find itself jobless and in countries like India which are human resource abundant and already challenged by growing unemployment, AI may act as a catalyst in further damage. It should also be noted that every artificial intelligence has its seeds in human intelligence. All economies today are driven by a burning desire to dominate other and they may unleash a weapon like AI to wipe off any economy. Has anyone read news published a few days ago mentioning hundreds of crores of rupees lost by Indians in cyber frauds with no trace of the fraudsters? Cyber frauds can assume demonic form of cyber-attacks eventually leading to cyber wars that are much more devastating than chemical or nuclear warfare. Well, such thoughts are themselves capable of sending shivers down the spine.
So, this leads to another more pertinent question which is then whether AI is future perfect or future tense? Well the answer is very simple.
Just as any marriage needs understanding and compatibility for survival, AI also needs marriage with human intelligence to make it more understandable, compatible and acceptable. Notwithstanding any artificial intelligence, human intelligence is and shall always remain supreme. The need of the hour is that humans should recognize the importance of Artificial intelligence in making lives simpler, opening up areas of unprecedented growth and that AI can overcome all challenges that restrict the growth of human intelligence. A proper mix of artificial intelligence and human intelligence can make any recipe a mouthwatering dish.
So the need of the hour is to explore and exploit AI in the best possible manner and with due care so that it does become an uncontrollable horse. This is the biggest challenge before human intelligence and if investments are made in this direction successfully, the results will create a new world altogether.
To conclude, AI is a vehicle that needs human intelligence as its driver for smooth and hassle free ride