The Growth of A.I.
Since the late 1990s, we have seen vast growth in the amount of computing power we are able to assign to different tasks as we have created new hardware to improve our computer's physical abilities and software in order to improve their computing abilities. This has ultimately allowed us to begin to create artificial intelligence that has been able to do increasingly do complex tasks but as this shift occurs, do we now need to wonder if we should be afraid of this progress, or is this progress for the best?
What Can A.I. Do?
Artificial Intelligence at its simplest is the ability of machines to learn how to complete tasks based off of various codes and software. This means that as long as an A.I. is provided the software instructions it should be able to complete the task. During the late 2000s, we began to see A.I. used to help process and find data, and as of today, the main task A.I. is given is to aid in these processes within business and environmental settings. In the following decades, A.I. began to be used more and more at home with virtual assistances like Alex and Siri being found in every household and being used to aid with many aspects of life. Overall A.I. makes the completion of tasks easier and by extension more effective which in theory should improve everyone's lives.
The Problem With A.I.
This improvement of everyone lives with A.I. however has not and likely will not occur and that has been primarily been because of humans and what they want A.I. to do. Looking at The Age of A.I. documentary, the main two groups that control the A.I. market are the United States and its corporations and China and its corporations and the two sides are more focused on staying ahead of one another and focusing on select aspects of A.I. rather than trying to use it to try and improve the lives of the individual. The Chinese have focused primarily on surveillance to support their social credit system and decrease decadence within their country while the United States has focused on using it for advertising and data collection as both sides also try and use A.I. for cyberattacks against one another. However, the biggest problem with A.I. is the fact that it increases productivity and by extension allows companies to need fewer people in order to complete a job and hire fewer people overall.
A.I. For The Future
Artificial Intelligence has seen many more developments, especially in more civilian areas like entertainment and housekeeping but there are still many obstacles to overcome and the future of A.I. is not super clear. I feel that there are three possible options for the future with A.I. and our future will be decided by certain actions. The first is a turn from the current A.I. path in order to try and improve the lives of citizens though this is the least likely. The second was started with the Age of A.I. and it is a split of A.I. into two separate sides with China and the U.S. with the world being forced to choose one in an echo of the Cold War. The third is the one we should push for now and that is finding a way to incorporate A.I. into our societies more while also finding ways to aid those affected by their introduction.
Technology will continue to move on so the development of A.I. is likely to continue for the foreseeable future but for now we must be ready to adapt to the changes it may cause.
