Artificial intelligence — a boon or a curse?

Since ancient times, mankind has been worried about the impossibility of creating Artificial Intelligence. And now, in our decade of the 21st century, we are closer than anyone else to this goal, aren’t we? Are we about to create something human-like that could somehow defeat us? And can robots riot? Some people are seriously convinced of the danger posed by AI, but some believe that humanity should not worry about it for many years to come.

In this ever-changing world, there may be no disadvantages to technology. It is, however, a myth. There is always another side to every coin. Artificial intelligence may appear to perform all of the miracles, but no one is considering the long-term consequences. Artificial Intelligence is here, and it’s here to stay. There’s a lot of speculation and fear-mongering related to the impact of AI. From fears of AI replacing humans to dystopian futures in which machines take over.

But to be honest, totally replacing humans with machines is a far-fetched idea.

What do scientists say?

Some scientists like Peter High, Niklas Boström, Kai-Fu Lee and another believe that panic is caused by just such sci-fi. People are interested in what is happening on the screens of cinema and the pages of books and some films and series, like episodes from Black Mirror, are increasingly becoming a reality. And of course the sensational such as: «Star Wars», «Terminator», «I-Robot», and therefore people are waiting with horror and impatience for the creation of something like this, not realizing that at this stage of human development (or maybe never at all), this is impossible. This meaning is rather a product of a rich imagination, influenced by science fiction, rather than a scientific reality, confirmed by experiments and empirical observations.

In today’s time, AI is considered a bane because it will eat up many jobs and become a major replacement for human beings, Oxford and Yale researchers asked 352 AI experts when machines will outperform humans at certain tasks. Here’s what the experts said: AI can do better than humans:

2022 — fold the laundry.

2024 — to make a translation from a foreign language.

2026 — write an essay for a high school student.

2027 — drive a truck.

2049 — write a bestseller.

2053 — work as a surgeon.

2059 — perform mathematical research.

2060 — solve any other problem.

However, AI can also be considered a boon because it can perform multiple tasks effectively and produce faster results than humans.

Human nature fears the unknown. Any big, transformative change poses a threat to the current status quo. However, humans have time and time again shown their agility and adaptability by growing & developing alongside technology. Coming to the question of whether AI is a boon or bane, the answer is tricky. The fear of omnipotent machines acting like humans isn’t far-fetched. Elon Musk has repeatedly warned that AI will soon become just as smart as humans, and that will be a very scary situation because humanity’s existence will be at stake.

AI and working situation

Ethics in AI has always been a point of discussion and given how successful AI has been in transforming human lives, we can’t think of our world without its active role. In the future, we will witness more revolutionized AI, with autonomous driving and flying in our daily lives, AI replacing many human-driven tasks.

In a world where machines exist as benevolent animals along with nature and humans, AI will help end boring work by allowing us to perform higher-level tasks. This will unlock human potential and allow us to focus on studying the brain and the most interesting mysteries of humanity.

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released a study stating that: 38% of all jobs in the US will “probably automate” by the early 2030s, mostly in mundane jobs. As the main advantages of using artificial intelligence, 58% of the surveyed experts from around the world named the optimization of business processes, a little less — 49% — identified the development of new products and services, and 41% — increased labor productivity. The gradual introduction of artificial intelligence will ultimately strengthen the position of employees who, when interacting with artificial intelligence, will reveal their potential. AI, on the other hand, can and should delegate routine tasks, thereby freeing up people for more qualified, creative, and responsible work.

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All the best, Aliya!