AI - Are you Afraid?

The world as we know it has changed and is changing rapidly. The 4th Industrial Revolution has had a significant impact on how we work and see things. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about changes to the world no one expected. Digitisation of almost everything we know and understand has occurred. One cannot survive in the world today without a digital asset that keeps one connected to the 'connected' world where everything has gone digital. The mobile phones of yesterday, these 'dumbphones' have given way to 'smartphones' that have in effect made us less ‘smart’ where our reliance on these devices is significant.

We can comfortably confirm that life in the 21st century is certainly better than what mankind has seen in the past, even a century back. The global population has seen their living standards improve, diseases that resulted in multiple deaths in the past are now curable or controllable, and education levels are up and accessible to many who could not access such amenities in past centuries. We have seen a tremendous growth of wealth in the hands of many groups and individuals that was rare in past centuries.

As we venture further into the 21st century, we realise that life has changed and is changing rapidly. The advent of supercomputers, big data, online tracking and the move away from physical currency brings about a new way of life, a new existence. The realisation is that science fiction is quickly becoming science fact in many facets of life as we know it.

With the rapid growth and adoption of digitisation of the world, as we know it, from financial services to agriculture and transport, the manual processes and manually driven world of yesteryear are rapidly becoming untenable in favour of the digital world, where everything happens in the virtual space with limited to no paper involvement. This has resulted in the exponential growth of data, “Big Data”, which has afforded a great opportunity for the use of advanced analytics, automation in business processes and predictive modelling. Through the digitisation of the world, the growth in the use of more power computer capability has been gaining traction.

With the growth of data and computer power, the rise of the use of Artificial Intelligence is becoming a mainstream focus for many businesses and industries. Artificial Intelligence or AI is a branch of Computer Science that pursues computers or machines to act as intelligent as humans. Artificial Intelligence is the study of how to make computers do things through the use of computer programs/coding. Currently, humans do things better than computers in many areas. The father of Artificial Intelligence, John McCarthy, defined AI as “The science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs”. In essence, Artificial Intelligence is a way of making a computer, a computer-controlled robot, or a software think intelligently, in a similar manner to how intelligent humans think.

With the hype around AI, everyone wants to be on this bus or bandwagon. These are the initial stages that will transform our history. With any transformational journey, the fear factor creeps in.

The real question is do we fear this new disruptive technology we refer to as Artificial Intelligence?

The intersection of neuroscience and?AI?raises both excitement and fear. Fear is something that all humans are fully aware of, built into our DNA, as a primal emotion rooted in our survival mechanism. Our brain, the weight of a mere 3 pounds on average (1,5kg), contains a crucial part that is intrinsic to our fear mechanism, the amygdala, a small almond-shaped region deep within the brain. This small almond-shaped region is instrumental in our fear response as it processes emotional information, especially related to threats, and triggers fear responses by communicating with other brain regions.

Hollywood has captured the imaginations of the public through its mind-bending and fear infliction in movies like The Terminator, iRobot, M3(E)GAN, and The Matrix (Trilogy). These movies have conveyed messages of pessimism around new technologies that should in effect protect and help promote the human race.

Our fear of AI is rooted in uncertainty and potential threats that are perceived by many as the fear of the unknown for AI is not fully understood nor is its full capability or ‘power’. AI is advancing rapidly. Our understanding and perceptions of the technology behind AI and its potential and perceived threats, I say perceived threats, as we have yet to confirm many of these threats are evolving. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries across the globe, enhancing productivity, and shaping the future of technology.

Some of the more common fears around AI include the loss of control, privacy, human value, replacement of humans in jobs, and decisions being made by machines. As humans, we react in a negative way when we are faced with unfamiliar and potentially threatening situations. Fear of the unknown is a universal human experience.

Goldman Sachs published a note that claims that 300 million jobs will be affected by Generative AI?and 7% of jobs could be eliminated. ?

Such claims only fuel the fear factor and drive workers into a negative spiral. They bring about economic anxiety?for workers who may be displaced and raise ethical concerns as to how these AI systems and technologies are used and the principles on which these AI systems make decisions that may mean life or death. On the extreme side, some even predict that AI will lead to the destruction of humanity.

So where do we stand on this AI fear factor?

The fact is AI has arrived and is here to stay. People feel anxious not just about what exists, but what is unknown. The uncertainty about AI’s potential, for example, to create?fake videos?and spread?disinformation?that polarises populations. Some AI-produced content can also provoke a negative emotional reaction in audiences.

On the flip side, AI can and has already enhanced humanity. Advances in medicine, include speeding up medical research through the use of deep learning and advanced machine learning algorithms. Medical researchers are finding new ways to treat patients and potentially could find new cures for diseases. The transportation industry with advances in safety technology driven by AI is enhancing passive and active safety in vehicles. The move to self-driving vehicles, which still has some work to be done, will allow better use of our transport networks which will assist in minimising carbon emissions through more efficient use of current automotive technology coupled with assisting researchers to find better ways to deal with traffic challenges in built-up areas. Our global fight against the decay of our planet is pulling the advancement of AI into the mix to assist with volumes of data to unravel the challenges facing climate change. Law enforcement and technology vendors are using AI to enhance their solutions and fight against an ever-growing criminal threat in the real and cyber world to make us safer.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had a major impact on how computers are used today. AI has pushed the boundaries of the way computers and machines operate resulting in making the lives of humans easier. A simple example is some of the more advanced washing machines today will run a quick assessment to ascertain the load before dispensing soap, the fabric softer and the amount of water required for a washing cycle. AI's impact on Healthcare is also astounding with its rapid development, AI is moving at lightning speed, and it is here to stay. One thing is for sure, AI has many mysteries that we need to solve and understand.

Fear not, AI has many benefits. AI needs to be regulated, governed and aligned with ethical practices to ensure that it is used for the benefit of humanity and not for the destruction of humanity or any segments linked to humanity.

Sources:

• Milken Institute
• Neuroscience News
• Forbes
• Getronics
• Goldman Sachs