Yuval Noah Harari, in one of the episodes of his popular show, argues that mechanized Artificial Intelligence (AI) will ruin the operating system of human civilization. The AI era—1990s and after—is making the human mind wonder if Harari is indeed right. Harari labels AI as a mechanized matter and trailblazers need to hold on to it for some time.
As the world keeps its fingers ahead for globalization, another non-estimated phenomenon has stepped in the form of artificial intelligence. The cognition power of chips triples in a short span of time while human intelligence continues to wane. Even AI developers make a similar adjustment with this idea of diminishing logical capacity of themselves. Still the cognitive power of humans always stands superior to the cognition of mechanized AI, because of the infinite omniscience of human beings.
It was Alan Turing, who first portrayed the concept of AI with a special linkage to medical science in 1950. Soon after, John McCarthy tried to use AI in science and engineering. The Turing Test, named after Alan Turing, pits the machines against human intelligence, capability and cognition. In this phase of rational advancement and development, pioneers are taking this step for the expansion of AI.
Looking back, all this was a far cry in the 1970s as the US Congress had imposed a restriction on the development and research of AI and more.
Human rationality
In an adjacent perspective, humans are born rational—they exhibit rationality in their real life and absurdity over synergistic machines. This fact seems to be realistic nowadays because rampant development of AI is causing massive unemployment. While human beings are trapped up by bounded rationality, human-developed tools like AI are free from it.
The tale of human rationality doesn’t end here, though. Eastern scriptures also seem to ‘bestow’ supernatural abilities on humans, endowing Ram—the protagonist in Ramayana—for example, with this special ability to get his arrow back to his quiver after striking a specific person.
Media capabilities, synergistic work value, optimal internal and external resource utilization are the predominant and key aspects of modern AI. In general, developed AI always yields some sort of limitations. So, the pioneer humans need to be vigilant for alleviating the risks invited in the long run via AI-based robotics and more.
Emergent perils
AI has some lethal perils and the whole of mankind may have to repent because of it in the long run. But defenestration is not the only way out. As per a BBC report, AI could replace the equivalent of 300m full-time jobs.
It could replace a quarter of work tasks in the US and Europe but may also mean new jobs and a productivity boom.
These job losses are likely to raise depression and anxiety levels of peoples of developed and underdeveloped nations. Because of this replacement, the overall productivity is likely to rise by 7-8 percent in a synergistic manner. Another standing challenge is the gradual erosion of AI and lower wages. Decrease in the spending power of humans leads to higher levels of relative inflation.
A rapid development of AI is likely to lead to an ensuing decline in human creativity. This may invite stagnation in any field requiring human expertise.
Neuralink, a digital chip developed by Elon Musk, is expected to be of great help in the treatment of disabilities, including the restoration of eyesight. Fresh hopes have arisen after the conduct of a successful trial on monkeys. Delays in decision-making can also be minimized by using such AI tools.
Speed accuracy and diligence are also elements of AI that can simultaneously execute millions and trillions of activities. Significant reduction in costs means huge economic relief for organizations and firms. The possibility of optimum use of resources is feasible when such AI models are used in defined working environments.
The author is a lecturer at Sindhuli Multiple Campus
