Artificial Intelligence Over Human Intellect?

There is a general regard and anticipation at the intriguing concept of Artificial Intelligence(AI). With progressive times, humans have evolved intellectually and hope to gradually expand the abstraction of intellect into machines. This ensures an increase in efficiency of labor and convenience.

Movies and popular depictions have left the imagination of people envisioning a world aided by Artificial Intelligence. While Science fiction portrays AI as robots with human-like characteristics, AI can encompass anything from Google’s search algorithms to autonomous weapons. From SIRI to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence is percolating its way into our lives in seemingly microscopic doses. However, is Artificial Intelligence really necessary on a full blown global scale replacing manual involvement and contribution?

The recent ages have experienced an exponential development in technology and its implementation. AI has made a humble entry into out lives in the form of various helpful algorithms ranging from an application to responsible ventures such as the working of a pacemaker or autopilot systems. The visible increase in a sense of comfort, responsibility and reliability on these systems in taking care of important sectors such as health and economic stability has instilled a greater need for the further administration of this concept into our lives.

Human cognitive ability remains unparalleled but it isn’t consistent. Results obtained in the concerned field when executed by humans depend on the individual, thereby leading to variable efficiency. However, if the standard level of intellect were to be achieved by a machine, the outcome is far more coherent.

As intelligence in general is an evolving entity, AI is created with the hope that it continuously change its ways with experience for proper execution of tasks, rather than the standard feeding of programs to machines by humans to adapt to changing times. Highly simple instances include fraud detection, online customer support, recommendation services and home devices.

In fraud detection systems, a large number of fraudulent scenarios are presented to the computer which generates automated warnings as responses for customers with cases that require attention. Over time with experience, these computers recognize multiple scenarios without external intervention.

Online support is usually offered by chat bots and not humans at the other end. AI comes into play when chat bots are made capable of understating various dialects and language structures used by humans. Although a highly variable factor, chat bots tailor their responses according to the continuous input of information from different cases. Multiple smart devices have entered the industry with ambitious claims. These devices analyze behavioral patterns and make suitable adjustments to home environments.

However, can AI be potentially disastrous? AI is used in the production of guided weapons and devices of mass destruction. These autonomous weapons are generally programmed in a manner which is hard for the very creators to disable. This is done to prevent the enemy from diffusing the weapon. In the wrong hands, this could lead to severe casualties and physical damage.

With increase in the intelligence and autonomy of AI, it could lead to a situation that is beyond the control of humans. Although we are working towards machines having the ability to evolve, it is impossible to predict the nature of the evolution of AI systems. They pose the threat of having the ability to deviate from the necessary goal and employ complex measures to get it done.

Superhuman AI is a concept in its initial stages and it is already raising concern about the threat it could pose. We exist in a world where intellect is above strength. Humans have established their supremacy over many beings irrespective of their strength, due to advanced cognitive ability. While we fears intelligent robots, misaligned intelligence poses far more serious a threat. All it requires is an internet connection to cause damage.

Apart from general convenience, what are humans after with these progressed innovations? Why are we desperately trying to recreate human emotions when humans are all we have around us? This raises concern about the looming detachment of people in their respective relationships. The perception of human emotions has been misunderstood and it seems that people are increasingly turning to technology to receive their expected responses. The messages and intentions have been lost between the lines and we cling on to these devices created by us to generate perfect responses and reciprocate expected emotions with ease.

While consciousness is arguably a debatable topic, it only exists in living beings. However, if robots are created with the ability to experience human emotions such as love, hatred or ambition, the extent to which these emotions could progress cannot be predicted during the conception of these robots. This could result in a conflict with humans as creating beings that resonate human intentions is not in accordance with the laws of nature. Biological processes aren’t required according to this concept and procreation in the mechanical sense could destroy the workings of this planet.

Although a far fetched hypothesis, the probability factor of such devices is high, considering the success rate at present. We have an eternity to experiment with this concept but when the time of its creation arrives, we need to question the potential consequences. We are fundamentally animals who are programmed by nature to work for ourselves and towards convenience, but not create artificial beings with human intelligence. If AI took up our purpose of existence by catering to all out needs and responsibilities, it could lead to the potential degradation of human intellect.

Labor would face a serious blow when replaced by automated systems. With that, a million more problems follow from health to financial stability. We exist on a planet with beautiful biological marvels and nature’s work is something that we cannot hope to replace. It is wise to coexist in a balanced environment with biological and technological intervention. Is the advancement of Artificial Intelligence promoting convenience or leading to the devolution of human intelligence?