The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Society

What is this AI non-sense?

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, there seem to be two camps of thought that people subscribe to. There is the pragmatic approach to AI and then there is the cynical approach. The pragmatics in the AI realm are not worried about a future where Google ends up being Skynet from the Terminator universe. They understand that AI is in its infancy. Just because an AI was able to beat the world champion of the Go, that does not translate into AI becoming sentient and capable of forming its own thoughts. AI is not able to perform some of the most mundane but complex tasks that humans do every day with relative ease. However, mankind's brightest scientists are currently trying to solve that issue. So it may be closer than we think. The pragmatic approach is well grounded in research, rationality, and realistic expectations. Understandably, a lot of people will bring up Moore's law and the exponential growth of technology to refute this reasonable approach. There is a lot of merit to Moore's law and it is empirically evident that Technology has been growing at an accelerated pace but it hardly seems likely that an efficient (evil) AI will render humans obsolete. It is fair to say that such future only exists in the far fringes of our fears and imagination. These dialogues between these opposing views are still fundamental to the development and use of this incredible technology. Somewhere between these extremes, there is a middle ground where conversations about the ethical use of AI and robotics needs to take place. History reminds us about the scientific breakthroughs of the past. Big governments in the brink of conflict have managed to weaponize our greatest discoveries and inventions. Project Manhattan's primary goal was not to create 14,575 nuclear bombs that can disintegrate all living things in a matter of seconds. It took years following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the world to take notice of nuclear proliferation. AI will not disintegrate anyone, thankfully, but it will profoundly change the nature of human existence. Many have gone as far to call AI to be the next step in human evolution. While others think that humans will share a symbiotic relationship with AI in a utopian society. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle but most people agree that AI will disrupt the very fabric that creates the modern society as we know it. The only rational course of action is to engage in the discussion of AI and be prepared when the technology reaches maturation.



Let's take a step back and forget about AI. Our lives are full of technology that enhances our wellbeing but people hardly take notice. All mammals are born with about 3 billion heartbeats that give every human being about 40 years to live. The average American lives for about 78.7 years with the help of modern diagnostic tools, medical research, and pharmaceutical research. This is only one example of the wonders of technology and such examples are abundant in our everyday lives. As the modern human, we have an arsenal of technology at our disposal at any given time. We access them through our phones, tablets, computers, and even watches. All these devices are also becoming smarter with passing time. Most people use some form of a smart device without even realizing it. The new iPhones and pixel phones in our pockets have already started to utilize AI in a lot of its functionality. Reputed companies like Nike have already partnered with Apple to create wearable technology. It is not difficult to imagine that our computers will soon give us real-time feedback about our health and make our lives easier to manage. All of these devices will utilize some form of machine-learning or AI algorithms as it is evidently the only existing solution to our needs. It is only a matter of time when AI will be an integral part of our everyday life.


About 300 years after his demise, Newton still haunts us with the third law of motion. For every good thing AI can accomplish, there is an equal potential for harm. There is always the yin to our proverbial AI yang. AI is also being weaponized by the U.S. and Russia for military use. The reason to weaponize AI is indeed a noble one that is to save the lives of soldiers, right? But let me ask you this, is an AI capable of making a value judgment based on ethics and empathy? Will our friendly robot soldiers be able to tell the difference between a child soldier and a kid playing with a fake gun? These are all questions that deserve extensive debate and discussion. These are the types of problem that are more imminent and threatening than that of robots taking over the world. For the rest of us, we can hope that these expeditions to our future are led by highly intelligent and rational people who embody the best of our traits. If that is not the case, the prognosis is not too bright but rather dark. It is not up to us anymore to decide if we want to open this Pandora's box, it is open already. However, it is our responsibility to best prepare for the future we are creating together.




By Shyer Amin

Citations:

1. https://bigthink.com/think-tank/big-idea-technology-grows-exponentially
2. http://fortune.com/2018/02/09/us-life-expectancy-dropped-again
3. https://www.ploughshares.org/world-nuclear-stockpile-report
4. https://www.greekboston.com/culture/mythology/pandoras-box/
5. https://pixabay.com/photo-3010309/
6. https://cdn.defenseone.com/a/defenseone/interstitial.html