Artificial Intelligence

How bright is our future with Artificial Intelligence?

       Few people really know the answer to this question. Artificial intelligence is already around us, but experts disagree on when it will fully develop. As technology advances it raises questions about artificial intelligence against human intelligence and whether some tasks require uniquely human attributes.

            While we tend to associate AI with fictional movies – with Star Wars, 2011: A Space Odyssey and the like – the concepts and gadgets introduced are quickly becoming a “new normal”. We’ve already started to leverage AI to automate mundane tasks, including home delivery (e.g., Instacart), navigation (e.g., Google Maps), transportation (e.g., Uber), digital music selection (e.g., Spotify), and more.

In this growing debate, the given wisdom has been that, if anything, AI will augment human tasks, but not replace them, anytime soon. Still, in a recent talk expert Andrew McAfee, bolstered the argument that machines are edging in on supposedly uniquely human tasks. McAfee described the pace of technology change as rising exponentially. “Certainly, AI is proving to be an invaluable tool, and intelligent workflow is going to be the labor-saving norm within just a few years,” said Scott Robinson, a SharePoint and business intelligence expert.

“if anything, AI will augment human tasks,”

        

            While the evidence is clear that machine learning and AI-enabled robots will likely supplant human work, the question is how many and how soon. These developments could gather steam in the near future and apply not only to repetitive tasks but also to knowledge. According to some studies 49% of work could be supplanted by automation by 2055.

            Some experts compare the changes brought by AI to those of the Industrial Revolution, where old tasks gave way to new human opportunities.  “We cannot definitively say whether historical precedent will be repeated this time," the report said. "But our analysis shows that humans will still be needed in the workforce.” While technology is supplanting human activity, digital platforms from Amazon and Alibaba to Uber and Upwork and the growing importance of data analytics will create new efficiencies and opportunities in the job market.

Predicting the future is a delicate game. We can only rely on our predictions of what we already have, and yet it’s impossible to rule anything out.

We don’t yet know whether AI will usher in a golden age of human existence, or if it will all end in the destruction of everything humans cherish. What is clear, though, is that thanks to AI, the world of the future could bear little resemblance to the one we inhabit today.