Artificial intelligence (AI)

Studying intelligent behavior—in humans, animals, and machines—and attempting to build it in any kind of artifact is known as artificial intelligence (AI) (Underwood 18). Once, AI was referred to as a technology with endless promise. In the last ten years, the technology has advanced thanks to parallel computing, massive data sets, and enhanced algorithms. Several significant applications, such image and speech recognition and autonomous vehicle navigation, rely on AI to perform at levels that are nearly human (Whitby 39). The AI experts suggest that a more recent technology is now in use. This kind of technology will be in a position to react to systems the way humans do. Examples of this technologies include the algorithms that copy human intuition and make predictions even when given incomplete information, systems that learn without being pre-trained with labelled data, and others that transfer knowledge gained in one area to the other (Whitby 40). All these are benefits of AI and are designed to make human work much easier. However, such developments have brought numerous short-comings to the general society. In this essay, the writer shall outline the social issues brought by artificial intelligence.

Loss of Employment

Technology companies such as “Google and Facebook” are investing millions into the AI technology for predictive analytics, learning-based recognition systems, conversational interfaces, situation assessment, and recommendation engines (Shevat 290). Further, aviation companies are building planes that can fly themselves hence airline companies are reducing the number of pilots. Additionally, enterprises see AI as the best solutions for logistics, sales, manufacturing, and business intelligence systems. AI creates a competitive advantage since it enhances productivity, service delivery and reduces operation costs (Cheng, and Day 271). Therefore, humans are being replaced with machines and this is a socially undesirable paradox. Humans with nothing to do can be destructive since they have no place to apply their minds. This can probably lead to social unrest due to extreme stress and pressures of the daily life (Jackson 29).

Artificial Intelligence May Increase the Inequality Gap

The AI machines are designed to create incremental wealth with less human activity (Cheng and Day. 37). This indicates that no person is employed to do the job yet wealth is being generated. According to Audretsch, Max, and Erik, the economy is programmed to compensate persons for their contribution to wealth creation, which is normally in the form of wages per hour. Most companies are still relying on this form of employee compensation (42). However, when AI takes precedence, organizations will cut down on labor costs and this means that wages will be channeled to few people while the others will stay unemployed. In addition, people with interests in AI-driven organizations will make all the profit. Thus, the technology is bound to widen the gap that is already existing (Shevat 219). The year 2014, 3 companies in Michigan and 3 in Silicon Valley generated the same amount of revenues yet Silicon Valley had 10 times fewer employees than in Detroit (The View from the Valley 77).

Negative Effect on Human Behavior and Interaction

AI might affect humanity in future. The AI technology has matured greatly to the extent that we have artificial bots that can imitate human relationships and conversations (Underwood 19). In 2015, a boat by the name “Eugene Goostman” won the Turing contest. This type of challenge involved humans chatting with an unknown elements and guessed whether they had been chatting with a person or a bot. The bot “Eugene” fooled more than half of the people into believing that they had been chatting with fellow humans (Hulick 40). This is just the beginning of an age where people will be interacting with machines frequently especially in areas such as sales and customer care sections of organizations. Areas where the machines have engrained is the video games and click-bait headlines. Such headlines have been optimized using a given type of algorithm that captures human attention. Video games are designed and mobile games also use this technology to make them more attractive and addictive to humans (Shevat 219). Such applications direct human attention and trigger certain actions so when utilized in the correct way, they can direct the society into a more beneficial behavior and can be detrimental when employed in an improper manner (Cristianini 79).

Artificial Intelligence Systems Can be Fooled

AI systems, like humans go through a learning process after development. The systems are taught different patterns and how to react to distinct inputs. A full trained systems moves to the testing phase. At this level, it is tested using several examples to determine its level of performance (Charniak 310). However, the training level cannot cover everything or all possible occurrences in the real world that the system may encounter. Thus, they can be fooled easily and not as the way humans can. For instance, random dots can lead a machine into making a different decision (Kumar 16). Therefore, if the society is to embrace AI in the fields of defense, labor, and organizational efficiency, then they need to be perfectly rained to perform as required. People should not use them to accomplish their own desires.

Possibility of AI Bias

AI systems are designed, developed, and trained by humans to process information at speeds and capacity greater than the normal human (Osoba and William 25). However, there is no guarantee that they can be fair and neutral since the humans creating them can also be biased and judgmental. High technology companies like Google intensively use AI systems as depicted in their photos service (Osoba and William 27). The AI systems are used to recognize people, the environment, and objects around them. However, the AI cameras can miss on very important aspects such as the skin color of an individual and this culminates to racial sensitivity. In some situations, the systems used to predict future criminals can show bias against black people (Osoba and William 31). Thus, AI should be used for positive change by persons yearning for social progress.

AI Can be used Maliciously

The society is comprised of different people with distinct motives and since AI is maturing into a powerful technology, it can be used as a tool for diabolical or pleasant gains (Maglogiannis 117). Robots developed to replace humans and AI weapons are some of the tools that can be used to cause damage. Other areas include cyberwars hence the need for cybersecurity. AI system are faster and have the capacity to handle large amounts of data than what the normal human can handle hence the need for constant control. Using the system maliciously can cause wars that can be intensely destructive due to the intensity of the weapons used (Hulick 91).

Higher Possibility of AI Turning Against Humans who Created it

Although countries have natural enemies, AI itself can be a great artificial enemy (Cristianini 41). It may not portray itself like a human enemy but an advanced AI can have horrible unforeseen outcomes. For example, an AI system may be asked for ways of destroying cancer in the whole world. After a few calculations, the system may decide to kill all the cancer patients in the world (Kumar 14). Eventhough the system has come up with a solution it deemed viable and effective, that is not how humans would have intended it to be.

Artificial Intelligence is a good system if used properly but can be disastrous if used inappropriately. The study focused on some of the social issues brought by artificial intelligence. It established that the system can lead to loss of employment since machines take up human positions. Loss of jobs lead to increased income inequalities since people with investments in the AI make money while others remain unemployed. The AI systems can be biased or even fooled considering that they are developed and trained by humans who can also be judgmental. Bias has a negative social impact especially when it is inclined to sensitive areas such as racism. Further, these systems can destroy the normal human interaction as users spend a significant amount of time on video games. Additionally, since AI is also employed in the defense sector, it can used maliciously for destruction.

Works Cited

Audretsch, David B., Max C. Keilbach, and Erik E. Lehmann. Entrepreneurship and economic growth. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Charniak, Eugene, et al. Artificial intelligence programming. Psychology Press, 2014.

Cheng, and Day. Technologies and applications of artificial intelligence : 19th International

Conference, TAAI 2014, Taipei, Taiwan, November 21-23, 2014. Proceedings. Cham: Springer, 2014. Print.

Cristianini, Nello. “Intelligence Reinvented.” New Scientist, vol. 232, no. 3097, 29 Oct. 2016, pp. 37-41. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=119072415&site=ehost-live.

Hulick, Kathryn. Artificial intelligence. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Essential Library, an imprint of Abdo Publishing, 2016. Print.

Jackson, Philip C. Introduction to artificial intelligence. New York: Dover, 1985. Print.

Knight, Will. “The Dark Secret at the Heart of AI. (Cover Story).” MIT Technology Review, vol. 120, no. 3, May/Jun2017, pp. 54-65. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=122578122&site=ehost-live.

Kumar, Ela. Artificial Intelligence. New Delhi: I.K. International PVT Ltd, 2008. Print.

Maglogiannis, Ilias G. Emerging artificial intelligence applications in computer engineering : real word AI systems with applications in eHealth, HCI, information retrieval and pervasive technologies. Amsterdam Washington, DC: IOS Press, 2007. Print.

Osoba, Osonde, and William Welser. An intelligence in our image : the risks of bias and errors in artificial intelligence. Santa Monica, Calif: RAND, 2017. Print.

Shevat, Amir. Designing bots : creating conversational experiences. Beijing: O’Reilly Media, 2016. Print.

The View from the Valley.“ Atlantic, vol. 316, no. 4, Nov. 2015, pp. 76-81. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=110072329&site=ehost-live.

Underwood, Sarah. ”Potential and Peril: The Outlook for Artificial Intelligence-Based Autonomous Weapons.“ Communications of the ACM, vol. 60, no. 6, June 2017, pp. 17-19. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1145/3077231.

Whitby, Blay. Artificial intelligence. New York, NY: Rosen Pub. Group, 2009. Print.