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Feb 154 min read

AI - Friend or Foe

By Lara Aslan





AI - artificial intelligence. Once a futuristic dream that has now become a promising and equally haunting reality. AI is a field of computer science that has been long studied, with applications of artificial intelligence as early as 1997 when then reigning world chess champion Garry Kasparov was beaten by a computer-run chess playing system which utilised AI. Since then, AI has branched out and is currently used in most essential applications in the 2020s including targeted  advertising, search engines, self-driving cars and many more. The field of machine learning technology has rapidly expanded over the past decade to the point where generative AI like ChatGPT and BingChat have become widely accessible to the public and boast a remarkable range of applications never before anticipated. It seems that what once only existed in the realm of science fiction media is now coming to become a reality.


However, with rapid innovation comes apprehension as questions begin to arise concerning the morality, ethics and future of generative AI on all aspects of life. The main cause for concern stems from the dystopian prospect of artificial intelligence surpassing human intellect and the consequences that will proceed.


If we are to backtrack to the nineteenth century, innovation in technology triggered what we now know as the Industrial Revolution and though this period of significant technological development is deemed prosperous, it also resulted in an overhaul and thousands of jobs made redundant by the invention of the steam engine and spinning jenny. Many, including luddites who were textile workers, opposed this change through organised riots at the time, though this term now applies to all who resist technological developments, in fear of losing their sole source of income to far more efficient machinery. However, the Industrial Age brought about not destitution but rather prosperity; old labourers adopted new urban jobs working alongside technology. Development didn’t eliminate jobs but rather established new ones and what seemed like a doomsday event provided the building blocks upon which our modern society was built.


Since then we have experienced more ‘industrial revolutions’ with AI being the forth , which begs the question as to whether we too are the victims of irrational fear of change or if our concerns are not misplaced. It’s important to recognise the stark contrasts between these two events. Preceding technological advancements in the past, low paying, blue-collar workers were those at risk of becoming obsolete as it was those repetitive tasks that could be automated for much cheaper than the cost of wages. However, the capabilities of generative AI are incomparable to that of rudimentary machines. 


Upon its inception in the 1960s, generative AI took the form of the chat bot, Eliza, - a programme that used pattern matching and substitution methodology to simulate conversation as created by Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966. Its applications, however, were relatively limited and Weisenbaum explicitly stated his belief that machines couldn’t replace human intellect. In an interview regarding his creation, he said “the whole thing is a con job, the whole thing is. It’s very much like fortune telling. It’s an illusion-creating machine and all that sort of thing.” Since Eliza, generative AI has branched out in its pursuits. In 2010, Apple introduced Siri, an intelligent personal assistant, for its IOS software, paving the way for AI bots with its natural language IU, followed swiftly by Google, Microsoft and Amazon who created their own personal assistants backed with voice recognition in the following decade. All of these adaptations and improvements were leading to the introduction of ChatGPT.


In 2021, OpenAI put their own language-model based chatbot onto the market and made headlines with its wide accessibility, hitting the 100 millionth user mark just 60 days after launch. What differentiated ChatGPT from its competitors was the sheer versatility of its user interface. Not only does ChatGPT cater to the individual, providing personalised content which far surpasses the customisation of previous chatbots, but also to corporations. When implemented in a business setting, the capabilities of ChatGPT are almost limitless. From data analysis and decision making to providing valuable insight into the field of technology, the applications of this interface are more diverse than ever before seen.


Whilst many praised the achievements of OpenAI in appreciation of technological innovation, the wide range of use began to spark the question as to whether AI as used in chatbots are threatening your career. It’s only natural that certain jobs be made redundant upon the introduction of new technology but, historically, it has only been repetitive blue-collar jobs that have been successfully automated. It’s only now with the nearing human intellect possessed by chatbots that we are seeing certain white-collar jobs under risk of becoming obsolete.


On this basis, it seems pretty apparent that AI has the potential to overtake humans in almost all job sectors but we need to consider its downfalls too. Although ChatGPT and other generative chatbots are revolutionary, it's important to recognise its faults. As OpenAI utilises a language model to enable human-like conversations and responses, this also leads the way for involuntary bias and logical inaccuracies . A large majority of this model sources the internet, which, in turn, results in the output of ChatGPT being directly influenced by whatever is most prevalent online, be that political ideologies, discriminative views or false news. Generative AI is also notorious for filling in gaps in knowledge with incorrect assumptions, resulting in responses that are incorrect at best and useless at worst. Therefore, these teething issues reveal that, although the progress made in the development of chatbots is extortionate since their inception, there is still a long way to go before generative AI will be capable of replacing humans in the workplace.


Instead, we will begin to witness the integration of AI and chatbots into day-to-day life and activities, with both workers and students implementing their use to enhance their own skills and improve their productivity as a whole. It’s safe to say that AI won’t be taking over any time soon and will instead be a helping hand to aid us in all aspects of life in the near future. Why don’t you take the time to play around with generative AI, explore its capabilities and limitations, and make your own predictions on the future of AI?


REFERENCES


McCorduck, Pamela (2004), Machines Who Think(2nd ed.), Natick, MA: A. K. Peters, Ltd., ISBN 1-56881-205-1


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