In the current world of rapid technology development, artificial intelligence is no longer a uncommon word that is only familiar to a minority group of the population. In fact, it is an prevailing phenomenon now. Intelligent attendants such as Microsoft Cortana, Google Now, Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri are becoming staples in how people navigate in life and work.
They are not yet real AI, but is good enough to be seen as primary model. Their main technical areas focus on a conversational interface, personal context awareness, and service delegation. They possess pre-programmed responses to conversational and amusing questions to provide an entertainment factor and give them human-like qualities. Such answers include ’42’ in response to ‘What is the meaning of life?’, in reference to the Hitchhikers’ guide to the galaxy in Siri.
Artificial intelligence by its literal meaning is, intelligence inhibited by machines. Colloquially, the term “artificial intelligence” is applied when a machine mimics “cognitive” functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as “learning” and “problem solving”.
While it may seems like a setting from science fiction, it may well be a monumental challenge in the near future: robots taking jobs. It is already impossible for human mind to beat the processing speed and capacity of a computer. If the machines have “mind”, how can human intelligence compete with such entity? What is the strength of a human mind and what is the difference of it with a machine mind by then?
Some may believe it will be glorious to live in this “disruptive” future, enjoying the convenience of technology. Others believe it will pose devastating social and political challenges. Such as race conflict between human and machine and human being slaved by the superior machines. A famous counter approach is the famous three laws of robotics proposed by Isaac Asimov.
Writer Anand Giridharadas has explored the disrupting power of emerging technology through the eyes of local legend and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. In the eyes of Khosla, the displacement caused by robots won’t just require simple adjustments, but a “massive economic redistribution via something like a guaranteed minimum income” and a reinvention of capitalism itself.
What do you think about artificial intelligence and human intelligence? Is it a glorious technological advancement of mankind or even the end of it?
Reference:
Giridharadas, A. (2016). When Technology Sets Off a Populist Revolt. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 9 October 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/us/vinod-khosla-silicon-valley-disruption.html
Russell, S. & Norvig, P. (2016). Artificial intelligence. Boston [etc]: Pearson, p. 2.
