In practically everything that is done today, Artificial Intelligence is involved. When you perform a Google search, the autocompletion of the search field uses, among other technologies, AI.
The same applies when you use your social media and even your communication app when keyword suggestions as you type are given based on context assessment. Telephone answering services of many companies already use Artificial Intelligence mechanisms, allied with voice recognition, and human interaction is often completely dispensed within the so-called intelligent virtual assistants. The expansion of this type of support to other channels has been great since, in addition to obtaining increasing levels of satisfaction with the results obtained, it is still possible to reduce labor costs in the long term, with a greater reach in terms of quantity and service time.
There are more and more autonomous services in which procedures that people previously carried out have given way to systems programmed for previously determined actions, as is the case of some subway lines in some countries and even in the country, having as an illustrious example, the city.
Today, many automobiles are manufactured by robots, and it is estimated that people will not even be needed to drive them in a few years. There are already technologies that fully replace this need. Its implementation is not a reality yet, because it seeks safety rates of around 100% of the technologies used; that is, it seeks zero error on the part of the “robot driver.”.”
One even imagines a future in which technologies exist to produce machines so intelligent that they can create things and answer questions that man has not yet been able to. They will be able to create new technologies and improve themselves. But while this threshold seems achievable, it also seems problematic.
Beware Of Artificial Intelligence
In an interview with the BBC, Stephen Hawking, one of the most respected names in science, said of Artificial Intelligence: “The development of full Artificial Intelligence could lead to the end of the Human Race.”
It is not difficult to understand why and what Hawking feared and what scenarios this could be possible. Just imagining something similar to the plot of the movie “Terminator,” one should already think about reservations about the adoption of AI in an unrestricted way. Some currents advocate very restrictive legislation when using it in the arms industry.
Another field that has received protests is the one linked to security. In her name, for example, many cities worldwide have adopted camera systems in which it is possible to identify people’s faces to locate criminals. Still, on the other hand, it would be exposing everyone’s fundamental rights in terms of privacy.
The same type of argument and also defending aspects related to privacy are associated with the issue of the use of personal data when we make use of social networks. Based on the type of content that each person publishes, reads, shares, reacts to emotionally, network systems are capable of tracing such deep psychological profiles and behaviors so accurately that this has been used for advertising and even more specific issues, such as voting intent and the recent scandal involving Facebook.
The subject is extensive and, above all, controversial. It requires weighing, reflection, and discussion because, in extreme possibilities, it can have catastrophic consequences. Conferring the fate of humanity to machines does not seem like a sensible thing to do.
Conclusion
Artificial Intelligence is undoubtedly one of the most seductive and important technology fields that aim to produce benefits and results to improve people’s lives. However, some aspects must be dealt with responsibly and thoughtfully in order not to create problems that we cannot deal with or because of something that exceeds our ability to do so.