Artificial intelligence, or AI, as it’s more commonly referred to, is a term given to computers or robots that can perform a task that usually requires human intelligence or input. It’s constantly improving, and every year, more and more tasks are accomplished by computers that traditionally weren’t thought possible. However, people often wonder whether AI can help?
AI can help humans in a vast number of ways. Artificial Intelligence can perform tasks on behalf of people to free up time or resources for individuals and businesses. AI is also used to assist with the development and research in several necessary fields, beneficial to humanity.
Keep reading to learn more in detail about the benefits of AI. We will explore how individuals and even entire industries can benefit from advances in AI, and we also cover some of the drawbacks to using the technology. By the end of this piece, you’ll better understand AI and how it can be a helpful tool for humanity.
How Can AI Help You?
AI can have enormous benefits for humans worldwide. Artificial Intelligence already helps companies or researchers save time and money and further their progress. Now, how can AI help you and benefit your life?
Artificial intelligence can help you by reducing the time, effort, and concentration required to do several tasks. It can dramatically reduce the stress and effort required to perform your job. Also, AI can help make your life more convenient with streamlined retail experiences.
Artificial intelligence may also increase the life expectancy of humans as it assists medical experts in gaining insight into the human body, which can help develop new medical breakthroughs. However, the medical field isn’t the only industry that uses and benefits from artificial intelligence.
Fields That AI Can Help
Artificial intelligence technology is producing results and new findings in many essential areas. Researchers and developers are using AI to assist in developing new services, products, and techniques that previously weren’t possible before AI. So what fields stand to benefit the most from AI? AI can help with several fields.
Here are some of the fields in that AI can help:
- Medical
- Financial
- Technological
- Agriculture
- Retail
- Automated flying
- Farming
- Manufacturing and production
- Virtual assistants
- Plus many more
AI can sometimes be costly for businesses, but the benefits outweigh the expense. The above list is just some of the fields that can and do benefit from the introduction of artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence In Industry and Retail
Artificial intelligence is used to develop new techniques for manufacturing and production. It’s commonly used for 3D printing and CNC production or Computerized Numerical Control, allowing for more detailed and intricate designs, previously impossible for humans to develop with their hands.
AI is also commonly used to help farming and agriculture. Some AI systems are used to track livestock while monitoring their help and condition. They reduce the costs of employing more farmworkers for farms, significantly increasing profits.
Retail is another industry that employs the advantages of AI. Retailers use AI to track customer spending habits and interests or just how they feel. It allows the company to have better insight into its target market, helping to improve marketing. AI is also used for suggestions on e-commerce sites, boosting sales online.
AI in Finance, Medicine, Astronomy, and Physics
The financial industry and companies can use AI to sort through large amounts of data that otherwise would need to be completed by people. It reduces the amount of work needed to be completed by workers, increasing productivity and profits for businesses. AI can also provide fewer mistakes in specific tasks compared to humans.
AI also develops new and innovative medical techniques, tools, and treatments. It can help predict how medicines and bacteria interact within the human body. This technology can provide researchers with new cures for diseases like Google’s Deepmind and AlphaFold, reducing the risk of adverse effects caused by medicines.
Finally, AI is even being deployed by scientists while they’re studying the universe. AI is being used in Astronomy and Physics, and simulations have been used to simulate conditions and scenarios in space to provide researchers with better insight into how the universe formed and operates.
This technology provides humans with a seamlessly endless amount of possibilities. If an AI has suitable algorithms constantly improving and designed the right way, humans can teach it about anything. As a result, researchers around the globe are using AI to solve complex problems in a variety of fields.
What Are the Risks of AI?
Whenever a new technology is developed, there’ll always be risks that something could go wrong or unsavory characters will weaponize the technology. You’ve likely seen a movie such as Terminator, where AI has waged war on humanity and attempts to destroy the world. But how likely is this to happen, and what are the other risks associated with AI?
The Risks of AI:
- Job loss
- Privacy violations
- Deep fakes
- Weapons automation
Job Loss
Perhaps the most significant risk that AI poses is job loss. Some crucial industries will see massive job losses as AI advances in quality. Everything from retail workers to factory workers to farmers could be out of the job as AI improves.
Large-scale job loss has a devastating impact on the global economy as millions of people lose their income. As a result, governments and companies need to exercise caution to prevent this from happening.
Privacy Violations
AI is used by several large companies, such as Facebook, to collect and analyze user’s personal information. This information is then sold to advertising companies to target individuals who may be susceptible to advertising campaigns specifically. Privacy Violations are a common risk and consequence of companies using AI.
Deep Fakes
Deep fakes are already familiar and cause problems for people every day. A deep fake is when a video or image of someone is fabricated using AI. The real issue is that deep fakes can be pretty much indistinguishable from reality, leading to a host of issues.
Bad actors can use deep Fakes to cause political unrest, spread fake information, and create division amongst communities.
Weapons Automation
One concern that some have regarding AI is that the algorithm is starting to go rogue. It could lead to AI launching nuclear weapons or carrying out attacks without human authorization. Or worse, it could start a war or result in untold human loss. However, the chances of this happening are slim and less likely than other risks of using AI.
3 Types of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is a varied and complex subject and science, and there are many aspects and levels to it. For the categorization purposes of this article, we will discuss the 3 Types of Artificial Intelligence.
- Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
- Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
- Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), or Weak AI, is the only kind of Artificial Intelligence that exists and is in use today. These AI systems are typically created to focus on a single area and solve and react only in that area.
ANI is quickly progressing and working in expanded multiple areas in conjunction with different subsets of AI such as Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) which combine aspects of each. ANI is regularly surpassing human capabilities in specific areas every day
By definition, ANI has limited capabilities, like those used in self-driving vehicles or different kinds of games. ANI does everything from predicting the weather to identifying what type of show you are likely to watch on Netflix. Currently, ANI can best humans in certain areas like chess, but it does not work like an intelligent mind.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is still a theoretical concept. We’re still a long way away from building an AGI system, even though what you may have read or seen on tv makes it seem like it is here already.
AGI is defined as AI, which has a human-level of cognitive function, just like the human brain. It would be equal to or greater than the intelligence of the average human. As a whole current Narrow AI’s capability has not achieved the intelligence of any mammal.
The operation of the human brain and the concept of intelligence and consciousness is not completely understood by the medical community and scientists today. Since we do not completely understand the human mind yet, there is no agreement on what makes humans, animals, or AI intelligent.
Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)
Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is the next theoretical level of artificial intelligence after Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Artificial Super Intelligence will surpass all human capabilities and beyond.
It is thought that once we achieve Artificial General Intelligence, it would be a short time later that AI systems of their own volition would rapidly excel to Artificial Super Intelligence. With access to all human knowledge, the agent could become self-aware at this point.
It is also conceived that once artificial intelligence achieves either AGI and then ASI, it would surpass human capability and be benevolent or malevolent.
Machine Learning, Neural Networks, and Other Aspects of AI
As described above, Artificial intelligence is commonplace; today and can be categorized under what is labeled as Narrow AI. Machine learning runs many things in our day-to-day lives with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Narrow AI, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning algorithms find and apply patterns in data and run everything from medical diagnoses to banking software. It runs Siri on your iPhone and helps you find what you are looking for on Google’s internet search engine.
Neural networks are designed like the human brain, utilizing algorithms built for a computer that self-correct through trial and error. Deep learning and neural networks are critical in some of the current structures of AI to continue with and accelerate the growth of its systems.
So, Is AI Good or Bad?
When used the right way, AI is good, like improving our lives and helping societies progress. However, AI is bad when it’s poorly trained, hence problematic.
One major concern regarding AI is the way we train it. We can train AI about certain behaviors, but how do we know what behaviors are acceptable or otherwise? While training AI to be the best it can be is our biggest challenge yet, there’s a bright future for AI to be a big part of our lives someday.
Final Thoughts
You use AI in many ways every day that you probably do not even realize in doing a search on Google or using your virtual assistant on your smartphone. Once you learn how to use AI through those sources, it makes our lives much easier.
AI, or artificial intelligence as it’s also known, is taking the world by storm. Every day more people, companies, and countries benefit from using AI to help solve complex problems. AI is also used to perform time-consuming tasks that typically require human input. As a result, AI is helping large organizations develop faster for less money.
AI isn’t without its drawbacks, though; some experts are worried about the potential risks posed by AI as systems evolve and advance. Some customers worry about their privacy or job security, while others warn of unmitigated disasters due to improvements in AI.
References:
- Becoming Human.AI: Where is Artificial Intelligence Used Today?
- Built-in: 7 Risks of Artificial Intelligence You Should Know