Artificial Intelligence: A Boon or Bane for the Future?
- AI as a Boon: AI enhances sectors like education, healthcare, and environmental conservation by improving efficiency, personalizing services, and providing critical data for better decision-making.
- AI's Challenges: The rise of automation threatens traditional jobs, privacy concerns escalate, and the weaponization of AI poses risks to global security.
- Need for Ethical Regulation: To ensure AI remains a positive force, it must be developed and deployed with strict ethical standards, balancing innovation with privacy, security, and societal impact.
Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) a beacon of progress or a double-edged sword for humanity? On a frosty midnight, my phone chimed and glowed with a text message from one of my friends while I was working on my laptop a fortnight ago. Reading her chat almost gave me a jump scare as she shared pictures generated by ChatGPT in which she prompted it to sketch a portrait of her room according to her previous searches and conversation with it. The petrifying thing was that her guitar and parrot, which she never mentioned, were depicted and placed in the virtual setting exactly as in her real room.
For the last decade, hardly a day has gone by when we have not been bewildered by such incidents as we are stepping into a fast-forward and advancing world every day, which urges everyone to question where, if ever, it will end. It probably will never materialize as humans are blessed with extraordinary valor, unshakeable spirits, and inquisitive minds who satiate their hunger to solve the enigmatic quiddity of the universe, especially by venturing into space exploration. Gone are those nostalgic days when our grandparents used to wait for countless days after sending handwritten letters to their loved ones via postal service. On the contrary, we are just one click away from the entire world. With the digging up of Earth’s countless bounties and numberless inventions made by humans themselves, it is noteworthy that we are becoming more civilized, globalized, and advanced, which ought to pave the way for more advantageous wonders and human marvels.
But what if these humans’ wonders outsmart them enough to dictate and dominate them in all realms of life? What if humans become mere puppets in the system of machinery that is formulated, designed, and created by humans themselves? Considering these portents, one must contemplate whether AI is a beacon of progress or a double-edged sword for humanity. The answer lies in the simple yet profound fact that eeverything,whether it is artificial intelligence, scientific astonishments, nuclear ppower,or any other human ccreation,can’t hurtle humanity towards its annihilation unless it is left unchecked to process on its own. Likewise, AI is both a boon and a bane depending upon its development and deployment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ignited a multifaceted debate, with proponents lauding its potential as a boon and skeptics expressing concerns about its bane-like implications.
AI is taking over our lives. Your phone recognizes your face and lets you in. Companies are creating AI-based cars that can drive on their own. The most mundane and time-consuming work is now automated by AAI, saving time, generating more revenue, and enhancing customer service. If we look at the bigger picture, we will be astonished to realize that AI has more boon implications for shaping humanity’s future if employed sagaciously. Artificial intelligence is becoming universal in its application and performance. In the realm of education, it provides a personalized interface for learning. Different online learning platforms that are adaptive incorporate AI algorithms to help students study according to their pace, style, and needs. Moreover, it provides an individualized and customized approach to every student that enhances the effectiveness of the education and offers instant feedback by highlighting areas of improvement, suggestions, and helping material to tailor student performance.
In healthcare, AI is making wonders by assisting more efficiently than its creators. For instance, the improvement of personalized treatments and optimization of hospital workflow were never basy before AI. Now a doctor can perform an operation miles away just by utilizing aI-integrated rroboticarms for surgery. Meanwhile, AI-based diagnostic tools can perform tasks with greater precision as compared to doctors. Furthermore, it aids researchers in discovering new drugs by analyzing cast data sets.
Autonomous vehicles are one of the breakthroughs of AI. Considering its potential, car companies are investing heavily in self-driving cars, drones, and trucks. This will not only leverage smooth transportation with reduced incidents but also streamline efficiency and accessibility for physically challenged people. As AI algorithms continue to evolve, the dream of a fully autonomous transportation system inches closer to reality. The business arena is equally exploiting the far-reaching benefits of AI. Companies are utilizing tools to gain insights into consumer behavior, streamline operations, and make data-driven decisions. Moreover, AI-driven chat boxes and assistants provide instant customer service.
In conserving the environment, AI is undoubtedly a boon as it plays a vital role in managing and conserving ecosystems. With its data analytics, sensors, and drones, it has become a breeze to collect real-time data on climate change, deforestation, encroaching cyclones, and wildlife. Such precise data is invaluable to scientists as it saves plenty of time and a plethora of resources in making informed decisions and developing effective strategies to protect endangered species and preserve biodiversity.
At the same time, the reason that AI can give better results in less time than humans makes it a bane to the entire human society. As it completely replaces human beings and can interrupt human presence in every field. In an interview with Bthe BBC,the godfather of AI, Dr. Geoffrey HHilton,shed light on the threats posed by artificial intelligence. Having given his resignation to Google on March 1, 2023, he pointed out the impediment to the human race in the following wwords: “Itwould take off on its own and rredesignitself at an ever-increasing rate.”
Although AI offers substantial benefits to humans in the aforementioned fields, it is significantly detrimental to traditional workplaces and employment. As big tech and other manufacturing companies are shifting towards robotics and AI-driven automation. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, up to 80 million jobs could be lost to automation by 2030, leading to widespread unemployment. According to its proponents, new advanced jobs will emerge in AI development and mmaintenance,which might lead to an adaptability crisis among low-skilled wagers.
Another facet that justifies its bane-like implication is the privacy dilemma. From the US to Britain to Italy and Pakistan, women, especially female politicians, are increasingly becoming victims of deepfake pornography and sexual harassment via cheap AI tools that have outpaced efforts to regulate it globally. This not only tarnishes public trust but also undermines the public participation of women, especially by jeopardizing their careers. Striking a balance between the utility of artificial intelligence applications and the protection of individual privacy is an ongoing challenge that policymakers and technologists must address through robust regulations and ethical guidelines.
One of the major quantum leaps of AI that hhaschanged the course of modern warfare is its ability to be wweaponized,which has raised serious concerns in global security and peacemaking. With its potential to make lethal decisions on its own with the integration of autonomous weapon systems, it might lead humanity to unprecedented consequences. It is pertinent to establish and implement norms and regulations to prevent the disastrous impediment of uncontrolled development and deployment of AI-powered weaponry.
Establishing and enforcing ethical standards and guidelines for AI, such aasthe Montreal Declaration for AI, implementing and promoting ethical practices and methods for AI, for example, the Ethical Impact Assessment to define aims, ggoals,and principles of AI for ensuring privacy and ethical considerations of it’s users must be prioritized by IT departments and tech ministries worldwide.
It is not as if artificial intelligence will throw off everyone’s job; as a matter of fact, it will open new doors to enhanced and effective employment. A study by McKinsey Global Institute estimates that as early as 2030, AI could contribute to the creation of 20 million to 50 million new jobs globally. The conundrum of job displacement is quite familiar with the 1980s when computerization was considered a major job wrecker, but it ended up creating an entirely new industry, a colossal one, which is even today recruiting millions of new interns. To put it in a nutshell, AI is both a boon and a bane, entirely depending upon how we are developing and deploying it. The knife is to cut with; a cook can use it to make delectable gourmet meals; meanwhile, a murderer can commit heinous crimes with it. It is pertinent to strike a balance by recognizing its boon-like implications and regulating it by prioritizing ethical considerations and a collaborative, holistic approach to ensure that it continues to be a boon rather than a bane for humanity.
The author is a freelance writer who believes in the transformative power of words to inspire positive change in society.
