The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: There has been a lot of talks recently about the potential impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have on society. So far, many people are concerned about AI replacing jobs and others are excited for the possibilities it will bring.

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Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: The Good

The vast majority of us would like to live in a world where we can have an active social life, access educational resources and health care that is comparable to those of today, and not be concerned about our physical safety. The Technology Industry has been leading the development of machine learning and neural networks, allowing computers to learn from data without being programmed in.

With the recent launch of the Google Brain and Deep Learning platforms, AI has become more accessible to smaller organizations. With the enormous popularity of the popular Reddit thread “Do I believe in the zombies’ apocalypse?”, it is clear that many people are worried about being replaced by computers, robots, or other forms of AIs, but the growth of AIs is a slow and gradual process.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: The Bad

There is some good news as well, though. For instance, AI will be a huge step forward for society by reducing the amount of data that is wasted by relying on interviews to make decisions. The bad news is that it may still take a very long time for this new technology to be fully implemented and it may take much longer for it to create a significant impact on society.

AI will also create tremendous opportunities for humans. Imagine if you could learn new things, solve problems, and build a new life on your own. However, we know that what is possible is not always probable. AI will also create new opportunities for unintended consequences, such as weaponizing AI. Many of us believe that AI will completely change our society and this is the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: The Ugly

There is always the potential for the technology that has been developed to do one thing to eventually do another. For example, ATMs were originally designed to take out coins and debits cards, but now they have access to our personal banking information. An attempt to disrupt the job market by AI does not have to be a bad thing.

Human doctors, lawyers, and even plumbers will see an increased number of customers because they are able to provide more timely services. The problem with the job market is that many of those jobs are low-skilled and low-paying. To add AI to a job, that employer would have to pay higher wages to those who do the tasks by hand.

AI-based weapons

The deployment of AI into weapons systems is already starting to happen. In fact, the Pentagon has just funded an AI project that will build AI-based weapons systems. While this may sound a little bit scary, the good news is that we’re already seeing a lot of AI in healthcare for diagnosis. AI is already replacing the vast majority of diagnostic assistants in hospitals.

However, the non-medical applications of AI and machine learning are likely to be more important to society. Care providers, It’s easy to see how AI can improve the process of diagnosing illness. When AI can diagnose someone without human interaction, it’s pretty impressive. But that doesn’t mean that all humans are out of a job.

Unclear consequences of AI

At the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) last week, Rob Coombs of George Mason University presented some of the most pressing concerns for the future of AI. For example, he said that AI may, “have a bright future… but it’s certainly going to have a lot of failures.” He pointed out that some “killer robots” are already being designed and tested.

There are also concerns that an AI could “run amok” and cause “incalculable damage” in the next decade or two. There are also risks that society could be put at risk of theft by AI and denial of medical treatment. Another interesting concern, according to Coombs, is that people will rely on AI for higher-level reasoning, which may be detrimental to democracy.

Will AI lead to a more unequal society?

AI will take over a huge variety of tasks in the years to come. It can already process medical data better than most doctors, it can process research papers faster than the average researcher, and it can even write short stories. The one role that AI is predicted to struggle with is that of a social worker. Professor Joseph Tsai from MIT and director of the university’s Initiative for the Applied Behavioral Sciences predicted that in about 35 years we will have an “artificial” caring relationship with our social support system.

Professor Tsai suggests that AI can learn, manipulate and teach itself. As such, it can become skilled at recognizing and engaging with emotional cues that we often struggle to recognize. These cues include gaze, intonation, facial expressions, and body language.

Conclusion

AI is coming, so it’s important for all of us to be prepared. There are many things we can do right now to prepare for a future AI economy, such as learning about the latest technology, understanding how to use AI, and being informed about its potential effects. If you’d like to help shape a future AI economy and improve the way we live, try our AI and Education Resource for free!