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Artificial Intelligence and how it is impacting humanity
mona li (First M. Last)
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Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer-based technology that deals with artificial intelligent behavior and learning and adaption in machines. This is the kind of technology which is transforming almost every field of human life whether connected with the economy, production, healthcare, communication and many more. As technology is impacting every field, research has also been done on its impacts on the modern world in both positive and negative ways. As every technology has its own advantages and disadvantages, AI falls in the same domain. This paper seeks to define and explain the technology of AI, an in-depth look at its history and its impacts on human life. In addition, it will also make people understand how this technology will impact their future. AI is a technology which has transformed different domains of human lives in both positive and negative way, and it will continue to impact future generations.
History of AI
The term Artificial Intelligence is defined as intelligence displayed by an artificial entity. Generally, AI is considered as a computer. However, it is a branch of computer science which deals with the artificial behavior, and its research is linked with the automation of tasks by a machine which may include planning, scheduling, and control. Due to the benefits and ease it has created for mankind, AI is now used in almost every industry and every area of human life such as economics, medicine, health care, and military and it has also been used in many computer applications. Looking at the history of AI reveals how it started at how it stretched here.
It all began with the growth of electronic computer in 1941 and the stored program computer in 1949, the research for AI started, however, till late 1950, the observation about the link between the machines and human intelligence was absent ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a178hg8i68e","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}World-Information.Org,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“World-Information.Org,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1265,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/JB5GZE7X"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/JB5GZE7X"],"itemData":{"id":1265,"type":"webpage","title":"World-Information.Org","URL":"http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611663/100438659360","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",3,6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“World-Information.Org,” n.d.). A discovery made by Norbert Wiener influenced the early development of AI. He is declared as the first one who theorized the concept of intelligent behavior as the outcome of a feedback mechanism that can be stimulated by the machines. The next step in the field of AI was the creation of The Logic Theorist that was planned by the Newell and Simon in 1955 and it can be declared as a leading AI program. However, the first person who coined the term AI and is also considered as the pioneer of AI is John McCarthy. He was an American computer scientist. He organized the Dartmouth Conference titled as "The Dartmouth summer research project on artificial intelligence." The aim of that conference was to draw the proficiency and talent of those interested in machine intelligence. This conference resulted in the research centers focused on the possibilities of AI.
The following years of AI were the formation of research centers on AI including some at Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition, new challenges were also encountered. These challenges were related to the creation of systems capable of solving the problems intelligently and the systems that could learn on their own. The extensive research on AI resulted in the formation of a unique program called The General Problem Solver which was used by Simon and Newell in 1957. It was capable of solving more significant problems and was extended on the principles of Wiener's feedback. Those years in which the computer scientists faced the shortage of funds to do comprehensive research on AI were named as AI Winter ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ai19mnht80","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}A Short History of Artificial Intelligence,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“A Short History of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1268,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/H5NDM27D"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/H5NDM27D"],"itemData":{"id":1268,"type":"webpage","title":"A Short History of Artificial Intelligence","container-title":"The Practical Dev","abstract":"What is Artificial Intelligence? What has Artificial Intelligence reached in the past? What are appreciable milestones of Artificial Intelligence in the last years?","URL":"https://dev.to/lschultebraucks/a-short-history-of-artificial-intelligence-7hm","language":"en"}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“A Short History of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.). 1990 has been marked with the year in which the Japanese government revealed their plans to launch fifth generation computers for the advancement of machine learning. Since 2010, AI is moving at a breakneck speed, and it is almost used in almost every field with its tools and technologies.
Tools of AI and Their Implications in Various Fields
AI involves a number of tools and technologies that are helping mankind in different fields, and it continues to flourish. Some of these tools include the Natural Language Generation which produces text from the computer data and is profoundly used in report making. Speech recognition is another tool of AI which converts human speech into useful formats and is used in mobile apps and voice response systems. AI virtual character referred to as a virtual agent provides an intelligent conversation with the users and is used for artificial customer representation. Machine learning platforms are currently employed in a large variety of enterprises to design, deploy and train models into machines and applications.
Various technologies of AI such as biometrics allow the unique recognition of humans on the basis of their unique physical characteristics and is highly used for access management. Text analytics allow the analysis of text and sentence structure and its sentiment by using the method of machine learning. Human action automation is done by using the robotic process automation to ease the business processes. These tools and technologies are much employed in the field of health care, business management, education and in autonomous vehicles. Robotics and Cyborg Technology address many challenges and reduce human limitations. The usage of AI will continue to increase in the future. AI can play a fundamental role in the future of many domains, and hence its impacts have been under considerations. Like any technology, it has both merits and demerits.
Positive and Negative Impacts on Humanity
The AI tools have been successful in creating ease in human life; nevertheless, along with that research studies are also focused on its positive and negative impacts. There has been a consistent debate on whether AI is a boon or bone to the society. The technology of AI has created tremendous benefits for mankind. The research on the benefits reveals that this technology has enhanced efficiency and creates new opportunities for revenue generation. It has helped humans reduce errors in whatever they do. Intelligent robots have taken the place of humans, and hence the likelihood of errors in a task has been reducing to zero. The power of robots has been used in space exploration. The real benefits of AI are realized when it frees up humans to do what they are best at doing. Apart from that, the overall human lifestyle has enhanced.
Efficient businesses, efficient performance of tedious tasks and mundane tasks are performed by intelligent assistants. Marketing targeting has gone better, better health care is in human access, and better machines and robots are performing diagnosis. All of this is the courtesy of AI. Telemedicine is another favorite of AI to the industry of health care and manhood. Businesses are enjoying low production, and operational cost and hard labor are replaced with robotics. In many ways, human conditions have been elevated as robots and machines are performing tasks being the capacity of the human brain. The technology of AI has enabled man to focus on higher order functions and enhance his quality of life. In addition, it is the most significant opportunity of a generation to enhance human creativity. Despite all the benefits AI has produced for the mankind concerns have raised regarding its negative impacts and risks for the society.
The impressive capabilities of AI are narrow in nature. It seems like AI will be able to solve any complex and intelligent task that humans will be unable to do, but the question is how much benefit society will obtain from this technology. The automation of services results in the replacement of human labor with robots. This will bring more benefit to the enterprises and business in reducing their costs, but the labor will be lacking employment opportunities ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a2q8ieemhvh","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}The impact of AI on work,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“The impact of AI on work,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1270,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/NRQ2HATZ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/NRQ2HATZ"],"itemData":{"id":1270,"type":"post-weblog","title":"The impact of AI on work: implications for individuals, communities, and societies | Robohub","abstract":"The impact of AI on work: implications for individuals, communities, and societies","URL":"https://robohub.org/the-impact-of-ai-on-work-implications-for-individuals-communities-and-societies/","shortTitle":"The impact of AI on work"}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“The impact of AI on work,” n.d.). The point to consider here is what will happen to the labor market if driverless cars become common. This is one issue linked with the development of AI. It gives rise to a number of moral issues when AI will replace humans in all the fields, and one of such issue is also highlighted in a movie Ex-Machina which reveals what will happen if the robots will get better than humans in diverse areas of life.
If robots get better than the humans, then there is also the concern of loss of control. Loss of control can be a deterrent if robots get smarter than human beings. Another risk linked with AI is that robots can create unintended consequences for human beings. It is also believed that the algorithm of Facebook impacts the outcomes of election eventually impacting geopolitics. AI is a gift of nature, but it cannot be replaced with humans. As robots do not have any moral or social values, they are unable to make the judgment of right and wrong, and they cannot encounter any ethical or moral situation. In addition, unlike humans, they cannot learn from their experiences. They remain unable to alter their responses according to the changing environment. There is no additional creativity in robots, and they fail to imagine like humans. Robots and machines work according to how they programmed. This has raised concerns on the use of AI and Association for the advancement of artificial intelligence aims to advance the research on the responsible use of AI ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a13115hd4bp","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1274,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/SH7YH8FY"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/SH7YH8FY"],"itemData":{"id":1274,"type":"webpage","title":"Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence","URL":"http://www.aaai.org/","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",3,6]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.).
Reflection and Conclusion
Based on the research conducted on the use and positive and negative impacts of AI on humankind shows that it is hard to imagine the humanity in the context of this technology as it is occupying almost every industry and every field. There is a conscious need to consider how this technology should be used. Like every other technology, it is being embraced by mankind, but the need is to use the technology in a way that produces positive outcomes for society outweighing the negative impacts. There is a need to conduct studies like the one by Stanford Institute on the 100 years of development of AI to see the impacts it has produced on the mankind since its evolution ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"L3ZiUQym","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Tyagi, 2016)","plainCitation":"(Tyagi, 2016)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1278,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WNKXQGST"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WNKXQGST"],"itemData":{"id":1278,"type":"book","title":"Essay: Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane?","note":"DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2836438","author":[{"family":"Tyagi","given":"Amit"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016",8,15]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Tyagi, 2016). A system of check and balance is needed with several AI technologies to evaluate its impacts. There is also a need to develop ethics charter on AI and the research studies on machine learning and robotics for the advancements in these technologies. The changing nature of work due to the AI technologies puts the responsibility on the policymakers so that the benefits of AI are equally distributed among all the parties including the businesses, workers and those who are impacted by it and risks of AI can be avoided. Research of today can be helpful to skip all the potential adverse outcomes of AI in the future and hence the benefits of AI can be enjoyed ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"anck04l2q5","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1276,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/VHENI4SQ"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/VHENI4SQ"],"itemData":{"id":1276,"type":"webpage","title":"Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence","container-title":"Future of Life Institute","abstract":"Why do we need research to ensure that artificial intelligence remains safe and beneficial? What are the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence?","URL":"https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/","language":"en-US"}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence,” n.d.).
The technology like AI should not be taken for granted as it is way different than any other technology. Its positive impacts were displayed on society in no time, but its negative aspects should not be ignored. Mankind must get ready to face the consequences of this technology related to privacy, unemployment and many other areas. To sum up, social bugs of AI must be considered to avoid any threats to humanity in the long-run.
References
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY A Short History of Artificial Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dev.to/lschultebraucks/a-short-history-of-artificial-intelligence-7hm
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2019, from http://www.aaai.org/
Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/
The impact of AI on work: implications for individuals, communities, and societies | Robohub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://robohub.org/the-impact-of-ai-on-work-implications-for-individuals-communities-and-societies/
Tyagi, A. (2016). Essay: Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane? https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2836438
World-Information.Org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2019, from http://world-information.org/wio/infostructure/100437611663/100438659360
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