Of all the things that have recently been developed by the human race, there is probably nothing more shrouded in mystery and yet more surrounded with controversy than the creation (and the continuous improvement) of artificial intelligence. (You could say the same thing about your apps, but good thing there are tools and apps on alternatives to help you figure out what’s legitimate and not.)
It’s essential to know the truth and nothing but the truth, as the oath says. So, this article is meant to help you with that – to know at least a few facts about artificial intelligence, to make sure you don’t believe just every word out on the street.
Fact #1: AI is here to take over a number of human jobs.
Would you like to protect your own economic position? In order to do this, you need to make sure that you (and your job) aren’t easily dispensable. The key to safeguarding your career is to go for jobs that machines are bad at, and this means the jobs that involve people, unpredictability, and creativity. Conversely, you are advised to avoid careers about to get automated away, involving repetitive or structured actions in a predictable setting. To name a few of them: telemarketers, warehouse workers, cashiers, train operators, bakers, or line cooks.
Fact #2: Machines do not have an Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
You see, this IQ is just a number that claims to have a particular measure of a person’s intelligence. And yet, you can’t simply measure this precisely because different organisms are good at different things, with varying degrees, as well as varying strengths and weaknesses. Hence, there can be no absolute measure of intelligence, particularly a numerical one at that.
Fact #3: AI is really getting broader in terms of its intelligence
The thing you can be proud of as a human being when it comes to intelligence is that you have what is called general intelligence, which includes not only achieving narrow tasks, you also have the ability to learn from specific experiences. Today, AI, as you know it, does not quite have that yet. However, researchers in the field are trying to develop AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) so that these AI won’t have to limit themselves to narrow intelligence anymore.
Fact #4: AI poses many risks for the human race
These risks are in no way similar to Hollywood’s picture of it, which is commonly characterized by robots or machines turning evil and betraying their creators (a lot like Frankenstein, don’t you think?). AI poses risks, not because they’re likely to turn against the human race, but because of the possibility of becoming too smart for humans, to the extent that in time, the human beings become dispensable, mere collateral damage, for the many goals that AI will want to achieve.
In the end, what the human race really needs is more safety research.