Is AI Really as Dangerous as Some Experts Claim?

The rapid pace of advancement in the modern digital world has revolutionized every conceivable industry. Whether it’s the push for self-driving cars or the work being done to introduce augmented reality to mainstream gaming, times are changing fast and artificial intelligence technology is at the helm of it all. However, the big question remains: is true AI sentience possible, and are the dangers of AI really as imminent as many experts say it is?

The Digital Revolution 

Across all sectors, AI and digital advancements are becoming more prevalent. For example, the dynamic iGaming industry is finding new ways to merge gambling and cryptocurrencies through Bitcoin casinos. From bot-administered platforms to AI enhancements and crypto mega sites with their own proprietary tokens, a digital gambling revolution with even bigger perks and bonuses is afoot (source: https://www.sportscasting.com/online-casinos/bitcoin/). 

Despite this and many other instances of AI and blockchain technology taking over everywhere and improving systems, many experts believe AI can be dangerous too. The problem is, there is certainly a case to be made for the potential dangers of AI.

The Potential Dangers of AI

Job Losses

It’s been a recurring fear of humanity ever since assembly lines and automation started becoming more prevalent in the early 20th century. Now that automation is being supercharged with AI at the helm, there are very real dangers related to AI slowly replacing more and more jobs traditionally done by humans. 

AI pioneer, Kai-Fu Lee predicts that AI will automate about 50% of all jobs in the near future. If the actual job displacement proves to be anything close to these figures, this is one danger that could prove to be very real. However, according to Karim Lakhani, a Harvard Business School professor, it’s not all doom and gloom since he believes that the onus is on humans to embrace a more digital mindset so their value can be evolved to still be of use in a digitized future.

AI Can Be Biased

One of the most controversial issues with AI systems stems from coding biases. Even where there is no malice on the part of programmers, AI systems can often unintentionally end up learning to perpetuate things like bias and stereotypes. In the famous Netflix documentary “Coded Bias”, an MIT researcher discovered that facial recognition technology could not accurately distinguish between dark-skinned faces. 

The worry with these kinds of software problems is that AI is now even being used to automate the drafting of legal documents and is even being applied to the criminal justice sector as a means of automating sentencing proceedings in criminal cases. In such a field, if the system were to have any hidden biases, the consequences could be unimaginably horrific for an innocent person. 

Public and Private Surveillance 

The use of AI in surveillance technologies is already proving highly controversial as it carries significant privacy concerns. In politically restrictive states like China, AI is already being used to identify and target citizens for purposes of weeding out dissidents. As AI becomes more pervasive and intrusive, there’s a very real stigma attached to its potential to create Orwellian societies, particularly in regions where ordinary people already have very limited freedoms or face oppressive regimes.

AI Guided Weapons

There are currently already many active war and conflict zones around the world that are creating environments akin to hell on Earth. The potential for AI to be used in the development of autonomous weapons systems that target and fire according to its own protocols makes for a myriad of nightmarish scenarios. What if a weapon has a bias and targets the wrong person? What if it's programmed to target specific groups? What if it can’t tell a child apart from an active combatant? The thought of these scenarios alone is too disturbing to even contemplate. 

The Danger of Sentience

Of course, the number one danger of AI at the forefront of everyone’s mind is sentience. Could AI ever grow so intelligent that it achieves self-will—plunging us into a dystopian future where machines rule the world terminator-style? 

Many experts believe this is certainly possible, with Google famously dismissing an employee who claimed it already happened. As scary as it sounds, other experts like academic researcher Dr Justin Lane say it can’t happen—at least not through machine learning alone. The thought of sentient AI is chilling, but it should be noted that the debate is far from settled.

Reasons Why AI Can Be a Force for Good

Bettering Humans 

Fans of AI vehemently argue that its potential to augment human capabilities and help us as a species solve our most complex problems outweighs any conceivable dangers it poses. We’ve already seen AI’s ability to create art, so there’s plenty of evidence to back this up. For example, AI is already being used for things like enhancing medical diagnostics, fighting climate change, and speeding up scientific discovery at an unprecedented pace.

Creating New Economic Opportunities 

AI can certainly also drive significant economic growth and is already doing so. For example, AI’s use in crypto gambling sites has already begun expanding the industry and acting as a gateway for more widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies. As a social benefit, it can also be used to track the patterns of players, potentially identifying problematic players and assisting them to set up healthy limits. 

Blockchain technology’s potential to optimize supply chains, civic records, hospital administration, and a myriad of other industries means AI can be applied in ways that continue to create new jobs, social benefits, and economic opportunities across any sector it’s applied to.

Conclusion

It’s true that artificial intelligence certainly carries many dangers and risks. However, before panic sets in and the technology is stunted rather than embraced, it should be kept in mind that there are entire teams of the brightest minds alive working on how to use it ethically and for the benefit of every person. 

There are far more potential benefits than risks and whether any of the worst dangers ever materialize remains to be seen. What is sure is that AI isn’t going away, so the ideal way forward will likely be to find ways to coexist with it while using it to enhance the quality of our lives as much as possible.

This article was originally posted on the MintDice Blog.