The journey of AI began not with futuristic robots, but with a humble conversation simulator called Eliza in 1966. This simple program, a pioneer in its time, laid the groundwork for the sophisticated chatbots and language models we interact with today. Fast-forward to 2024 — AI is poised to become an even more ubiquitous presence in our lives. Forecasts predict that by 2024, there will be more AI assistants than people on Earth – that's 8.4 billion digital companions buzzing around!
This rapid ascent, however, has been accompanied by a storm of misinformation and negativity. The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 ignited a whirlwind of fear, anxiety, excitement, and even conspiracy theories. In the midst of this confusion, harmful myths about AI have taken root, painting a dystopian picture of our AI-powered future.
Therefore, it’s more crucial than ever to dispel these myths and foster a healthy understanding of AI. This is why I, an AI enthusiast ignited by the magic of artificial neural networks back in college, have decided to explore the truth behind the myths and pave the way for a harmonious future with AI.
Artificial intelligence is a machine mimicking human reasoning/intelligence.
Just like humans, AI learns through knowledge, i.e., accumulated data.
There are complex mathematical algorithms that help the machine comprehend why a problem arises or in some cases recognize visuals (known as Computer Vision), including living and non-living things. Subsequently, the machine can be taught how to solve those problems.
The process where the machine learns is known as the Training Phase. To understand how a machine learns, take a look at the image given below!
The performance of AI is correlated with the quality of data it was trained on, not quantity (which is an important aspect too). This means that no AI is perfect, leaving room for improvement as and when rich data is acquired.
The seeds of artificial intelligence were sown in the 1950s, not in labs, but at a summer workshop organized by Alan Turing. This visionary mathematician devised the Turing Test, a way to judge if a machine could truly think like a human. Just imagine, chatting with a computer and not knowing if it's flesh and blood on the other side!
Soon, researchers built the perceptron, a model mimicking the brain’s neurons. It learned to recognize simple patterns, a baby step towards machines understanding the world around them.
Decades of ups and downs followed — some thought AI was a dead end, while others, like Marvin Minsky and Geoffrey Hinton, kept the flame alive. Then, in 1997, came a defining moment: Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer, toppled chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov. Suddenly, the world realized AI wasn’t science fiction anymore.
Today, AI is everywhere, from diagnosing diseases (a scary thought for some!) to writing music. While the future remains uncertain, one thing’s for sure: the machines are learning, and we’re just beginning to understand the possibilities.
The myth that AI might replace all jobs, rendering human skills and creativity obsolete, has been the crux of the AI debate since November. It’s because we’ve seen ChatGPT and the likes perform exceptionally. Let’s debunk this myth!
Reality
Humans are extremely adaptive. When the calculator was invented, mathematicians didn’t become obsolete, instead, they were able to focus more on thinking.
Similarly, humans have to assign low-level tasks to AI so that they can be more productive. According to AlphaFold, a biology AI by Google, millions of research papers were scanned for relevant content and converted into Excel, all while the team was on a lunch break.
Therefore, our main focus should be to learn how to wield these AI systems!
AIs like AlphaGo have brutally defeated human experts in games like chess, poker, etc. Apart from games that require strategies and reasoning, AI systems can write concisely, generate quality art, etc. However, there's a catch to it, which is why this myth can be debunked.
Reality
Stating the obvious, AI is a creation of mankind. However, all mankind does not possess the elite level of intelligence that invention requires. This is because each one of us has different abilities that make us stand out.
Therefore, we have to use AI to augment and enhance our skill domain rather than compare ourselves to it!
Robot Sophia, Atlas, Spot from Boston Dynamics, and the like have engineered robots that can speak, imitate human expressions, and sense their environment. By extension, there’s some unrest that AI might become conscious! Let’s debunk this one!
Reality
Have you felt different types of ways, had a toothache, or a sting from a bee? If yes, these experiences are what is called consciousness! It’s a term that even science can’t objectively define, so I’ll take the liberty to elaborate on it as I understand it.
Consciousness might be the innate feeling of knowing what is right and wrong, spontaneously crying upon achieving or losing someone or something, the sheer desire to be with your loved one, etc.
These are biologically implanted into us, something which machines cannot achieve!
We live in an age of mass surveillance and in the subsequent years, the age of robotic patrolling will take birth (for which Raddog is a prime example). Coupled with these headlines is the indoctrination of fictional content, which has cast a subtle fear in our hearts that AI might take over the world.
Reality
AI itself cannot take over the world. This might hit hard to some, when power becomes absolute, the elites will hold the reins of AI and will use it to take over the world.
So it all depends on who gets hold of it first, the good or bad guys. The only way to negate this catastrophe is to enforce rigid laws to prevent something akin to this from happening, and I'm quite optimistic about the future.
AI is trained on data collected and scrutinized by the people creating it. This means that an AI could show prejudice against a certain race, scenario, etc. if it were trained on biased data. The only way to mitigate this issue is to constantly refine the data, impose laws, etc.
However, most of the mainstream AI systems, when prompted to generate biased/malicious content, refuse to do so.
The rapid advancement of AI has sparked a storm of myths and anxieties, obscuring the true potential of this transformative technology. While AI may not be poised to replace human jobs or enslave humanity, it undeniably reflects the biases and values of its creators. This demands a proactive approach to ethical development, ensuring AI serves as a tool for progress, not a harbinger of doom. Therefore, we should strive to resolve and mitigate the issues concerning it and focus on improvising it!
