3 simple reasons why AI will not rule man... yet
AI limitation #1 – Data Availability
The current advancements seen in machine learning – in which software can now learn and improve itself – is conditional upon crunching a large amount of data for the specific task it is learning to perform. Take for example, an AI software that’s being trained to classify different car models based on images from the Internet. It can become better and better over time only if it is given a vast amount of pictures to analyze and a human operator giving feedback to it on which ones were right or wrong. But there is absolutely no possibility of the software somehow learning to design a working car itself from performing this task.
Current AI is also able to research and organize information if you feed it a database of textual content. This means that if you feed such an AI software with, say, car design and engineering textbooks, it can highlight and summarize the key information. However, even if you add this ability to the earlier one on car pictures, an AI software will still not be able to design and construct a new working automobile on its own. A human learner can, given enough education and natural abilities.
AI limitation #2 – Computing power
The other practicality that limits current AI technology other than the availability of data is computing power. The current mathematics driving AI software has been around for many decades now. Back then computers were not cheap or fast enough yet to make their potential applications realistic or useful. Now it is.
For artificial computing power to come close to the abilities of the human brain, we would need to create a quantum computer. Such a technology is still in its early stages. We cannot say for sure when quantum computers will become mainstream, but we can say for sure that based on engineering principles, the current integrated circuit technology powering the computational abilities of conventional computers will never be able to replicate the human brain, much less exceed it in intellectual capabilities.
AI limitation #3 – We cannot surpass what we do not yet fully understand
The type of computational mathematics that fueled the current advancements in AI is called neural networks. It is inspired by the human brain. But modern science does not yet fully understand how the brain works. Without this understanding, no human scientist could ever program an AI that has the potential to surpass the human brain. Till neuroscience catches up, software will not be able to emulate the creative or adaptive abilities of the human mind, which are the true frontiers of human intelligence that can still defeat a machine.