Hollywood blockbusters like iRobot, Stealth, Eagle eyes and more recently the HBO hit series Raised by wolves have painted a picture of artificial intelligence to the viewing audience. There is a very thin line between science fiction and reality these days.However the portrayal of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) in these movies and others with similar plots may not truely represent the present realities and applications of A.I . Before we address some of the myths/fiction and realties of A.I., it will be good for us to have a basic understanding of what A.I. truly is.
In simple terms A.I. is aimed at mimicking or simulating human intelligence. According to Gordon Scott "the goals of artificial intelligence includes learning , reasoning and perception." Adams, R.L. further opines that for any system to be able to bear the appellation of or be referred to as an AI , it must have the ability to self learn . Learning on its own may involve forming connections or learning from past activities and improving on them without being reprogrammed or receiving a new set of instructions. On that basis we could term @TheRandomRewarder as a true AI on the basis of its first post where it stated that it would be learning on the go. I will attempt to address some common myths and the corresponding facts or realities about AI below.
Myth 1: A.I. is limited to Robotics and Drones
For some persons the concept of Artificial intelligence is limited to humanoid robots or autonomous drones for law enforcement or military purposes. This is quite far from the reality. A.I. has wide and constantly expanding range of applications which includes use in industries, healthcare , homes, just to mention a few. Recent advancements in smartphone photography have also seen the introduction of AI to smart phone cameras for an enhanced photography experience. The presence of AI can even be felt in our homes with products like Alexa and Siri with the Advent of smart homes. Another good example of AI application are the self driving cars made by Tesla. AI is gaining mass adoption as the scope of its applications spreads. Streaming services such as Netflix and Pandora use AI to deliver media recommendations that are basically tailored to meet the preferences or likes of each subscriber. Their AIs basically learn from the previous selections or choices of users to make appropriate recommendations.
Myth 2: A.I.'s will take over the world and enslave or destroy mankind
In one of the scenes in the Hollywood movie iRobot, a newer generation of robots takes over the city restricting the movement of the citizens and destroying the older robots which had been decommissioned. This was apparently the interpretation the central AI gave to its perception of protecting the citizens in the city. However in reality , the central AI had gone rogue and took laws into its own hands without considering the consequences on the citizens it ought to be protecting or helping. We have a similar scenario in the movie Eagle eyes where the AI involved went to any lengths for self preservation. It had no bounds as murder was even on its to do list in order to "protect" itself.
These two movies paint a gleam picture of what "super human" AIs of the future could do if something goes weong. Although these are works of fiction , some prominent scientists have advised on the need to tread with caution in the development and reliance of Super AIs as there exists a potential risk of such AIs being exploited for malicious intent or worse still a conflict of purpose by the AI itself. They make a case for necessary checks or precauitions to be put in place aimed at preventing a scenario where the AI goes against what it has been assigned or programmed to do. This could arise if the AIs decides to attain a goal which is at variance with that of its creators. The eventual threat to humanity may not Ultimately come from humanoid robots but from super AIs in the form of quantum computers which need only an internet connection to wreck havoc on humanity if ever they acquire the ability to develop such malicious intent.
Myth 3: AI systems are more intelligent than humans
AIs of today may outperform humans at performing specific tasks but that is not sufficient grounds to generalise that they outperform humans in all dimensions of intelligence. They may well outpace humans in terms of speed of calculations but when it comes to other dimensions such as strategic thinking, creative ability and particularly emotional intelligence, AIs still have some catching up to do with human intelligence. However all that could change in future with the present pace of research and development towards achieving super AI. Personally I doubt if AIs can ever match up with humans in appropriately expressing emotional intelligence.
Myth 4: AI will eliminate the need for human workforce
This is far from the present realities particularly in the developing world and third world countries where technological advancement moves at a much slower pace. Even if this is going to happen in the developed world it is likely not going to be in the near future. Although we are witnessing a gradual shift towards utilization of automated technologies in industries the presence of human input or supervision cannot totally be ruled out at least for the time being. Obviously with automation we are likely to see job cuts as workers who are deemed not to be essential in ensuring the automated systems function properly may be laid off .
The positive impact though of automation is an expected increase in output as there will be more efficiency due to the reduction in human error. Aside the industries, services such as taxi may also become more automated without the need for human drivers. The advent of self driving smart card attests to this possibility.
Other myths and realities regarding AI are summarised in the infographic courtesy the Future of life institute.
In conclusion, although some of the myths concerning artificial intelligence may seem far fetched at present there is need for proper regulation and monitoring to ensure that AIs are never put to malicious use as the effects on mankind could be catastrophic. The real risk with the development of AIs are governments or non-state actors weaponising them or using them for purposes that does not benefit humanity. As with everything in life seeking moderation in integrating AIs in all aspects of human life is what is needed. Total or over reliance on superhuman AIs could indeed spell doom for mankind if anything goes wrong with their proper functioning.
I leave you with the words of Prof. Stephen Hawking
"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race."
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