Written By Laksshha Khanna (Grade 10)
AI takeover is a hypothetical scenario in which artificial intelligence becomes the dominant form of intelligence on Earth.
An idea that may not remain a hypothesis for too long.
Imagine telling a person fifty years ago that cars drive themselves and a little bot can vacuum your floor with just a flick of a finger! They would deem your thoughts unhinged and claim them to be too far-fetched.
In such a short span of time, the technological world has gone through great many evolutions. From launching the first rocket to Mars in 1964 to being just steps away from inhabiting it now proves that artificial intelligence is the future.
Its omnipresence is the very reason why our dependency on it is ever-increasing. Have you noticed how the word “Google” is increasingly becoming a common noun.
What is the meaning of this word? – Google it
How to get rid of my social media addiction? – Google it
What is Google? – Google it
Isn’t it ironic to note that we make these artificial sources smarter by the day and that in turn makes us doltish? Our reliance on these quirky sources could possibly lead to a doomsday scenario where robots will not only take over human jobs but even control human labour.
According to the University of Notre Dame, anxiety about machines replacing human beings is not new. Technological breakthroughs ranging from steam-powered engines to industrial robots have always induced the fear of losing employment among people. However, with the popularization of each breakthrough, new jobs were simultaneously created.
For example, as automobiles were invented, horse drive carriages disappeared but expansive automotive, transportation and logistics industries emerged employing millions of people globally.
Interestingly, as far as history is to be used as our guide, then our concerns over AI takeover are absolutely baseless. As masters of their creation, humans can be expected to harness them and continue to create new job opportunities and accelerate economic growth. Therefore, we can assume that this same pattern will be in effect with artificial intelligence.
Right?
Maybe. This time it could be a different story altogether. There are a few reasons to be cautious. These attractive devices have us wrapped around their fingers. Our skills are rendered useless with the prevalence of AI, so much that it prevents us from using our brains.
We find it convenient to look up something instead of pondering upon it for a moment longer and coming up with the answer ourselves.
The transformative impact that artificial intelligence is supposed to have on our lives will have wide ranging economic, legal and regulatory implications that our society needs to discuss and prepare for.
We need to ensure that AI does not become a little too proficient at doing what it was designed to do so that it does not cross ethical or legal boundaries.
Artificial intelligence algorithms are run by data. As it goes about collecting data every second every day of every person, our privacy gets compromised. If businesses and governments start making decisions based on the information gathered about us, it could potentially lead to social oppression.
The debate over the question continues. Will artificial intelligence undermine human values and take over or will humans harness their brainchild and continue to prevail as the smartest species on the planet?
Only time will tell.
Featured Image Courtesy – Built In