Artificial intelligence is intelligence exhibited by machines. This type of technology is generally portrayed as science fiction, like Skynet from the Terminator or the robots from I, Robot.  However, in today’s society, artificial intelligence surrounds us and affects our daily lives in ways we do not even realize. When the majority of people think about artificial intelligence, they are biased and only see the “potential dangers.” I believe that in order to fully accept the way artificial intelligence impacts our lives, one must understand the current and potential impacts. Artificial intelligence is growing rapidly, and the way it currently affects, and will affect our daily lives is extremely positive.  

Artificial intelligence has been a progressive idea for decades. Ideas like deductive reasoning, simple machines, and elementary robotics inspired the growth of artificial intelligence. While some of the contributors to AI do not seem like what we think is technology, they are just as important because artificial intelligence involves different ways of thinking. The basic principles of artificial intelligence, such as deductive reasoning, make the computerization work. The path to this innovation started years ago. From the beginning of the century, there have been several people and events that have helped in the progression of technology. In 1956, the Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence Conference was held which essentially laid the foundation for the growth and research of artificial intelligence. During this conference, John McCarthy created the term artificial intelligence because no one had a name for the new, profound subject. Prior to this conference, several developers created technology that essentially helped make artificial intelligence what it is today. Some examples are Alan Turing making the Turing Test to “measure machine intelligence” and Arthur Samuel of IBM writing game-playing programs. While current technology is rapidly growing and changing, the foundation for artificial intelligence was deliberately laid by people who wanted to change the world. 

Artificial intelligence positively influences our daily lives. There are several types of AI that surround us constantly that we do not even notice. One example is Siri. Siri is an “intelligent assistant” that is installed on iPhones. Siri takes the information she is given and learns about the user. Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana are similar to Siri, and demonstrate how artificial intelligence is something we potentially use every day. Another example of AI that is currently being used is IBM’s Watson. Watson is defined as “an IBM supercomputer that combines artificial intelligence and sophisticated analytical software for optimal performance as a “question answering” machine.” Watson was featured on the game show Jeopardy! and beat the best players in the history of the show. Websites like Netflix, Amazon, and Pandora also use artificial intelligence by predicting media the user will enjoy. Netflix analyzes the TV shows and movies you watch and makes suggestions based on your preferences. Amazon also predicts what customers would like, which results in vast amounts of revenue. Pandora has “musical DNA”, and recommends songs based on the types of songs you listen to and what is similar to those songs. All of these examples of AI have the potential to make each of our lives easier in different ways. Intelligent personal assistants can manage and learn about our lives which results in easier daily interactions. Machines like Watson could possibly help businesses and exhibit intelligence on different levels. Predictive technology knows us better than we know ourselves. It can be helpful by recommending new products or harmful because of the temptation of products you are destined to want.

When presented with the idea of artificial intelligence, most people are hesitant to accept the positive and real facts. Bill Gates, who has a respectable point of view, thinks that artificial intelligence “should be positive if we manage it well.” However, both Gates and Stephen Hawking agree that artificial intelligence could be dangerous if not properly handled, which Terrance O’Brien discusses in his article “Exploring the past, present, and future of AI with Engadget.” These are some of the most intelligent and technologically-savvy people in the world, so their opinions are agreeable. O’Brien offers some insight by saying that it is understandable to have reservations about artificial intelligence simply because there are unknown results. But, to think that AI is a “threat to humanity”, as CNN writer Greg Scoblete says, is a misconception that is believed by many. There are several misconceptions when it comes to artificial intelligence. When the majority of people think about robots or AI, they think Terminator or “robots will take over the world.” However, these thoughts are based on science fiction. While artificial intelligence can think and have emotions, they are not and will not be similar to humans. Humans can build machines with positive thinking, but the majority of artificial intelligence machines will have no emotions. One misconception is that machines will learn to be dangerous and potentially become more intelligent than their human counterparts. This is untrue. Artificial intelligence systems will be able to learn and are actually already smarter than humans, but they have no underlying desires like people do. Computers and machines have written code that allows them to do their intended tasks. These misconceptions have the potential to steer people away from wanting artificial intelligence, which is a mistake. The science fiction version has branded AI as “dangerous.” But artificial intelligence has the ability to improve not only daily life, but other aspects of life as well. 

The future of artificial intelligence is limitless. The possibilities are exciting and life changing. There are ideas that involve artificial intelligence helping to reduce disasters around the world, animalistic machines, and possible biological brains in robot bodies. From 2005 to 2015, 242 natural disasters have wreaked havoc on the United States. Lives were lost and billions of dollars were spent to repair cities and properties. Artificial intelligence can provide services in disaster situations that could help tremendously. Using technology such as drones, sensors, and robots would give the ability to assess damage and landscapes or rescue people who are trapped. Another prediction for the future of artificial intelligence is that we will see several types of “animal-inspired machines” that learn as they spend time in the world. These types of machines will slowly integrate into society and perform simple tasks that do not require intense reasoning. From there, it is predicted that these animalistic artificial intelligence machines will migrate into households to perform daily tasks. Instead of being turned off by having a robot walking around the house, the machines will grow and have personalities that families will essentially love like pets. While this prediction of “artificial pets” may seem like a stepping stone to possible artificial humans, this will not happen any time soon, or even at all. These predictions will take many years of creating and perfecting before they are introduced to the world. One suggestion for the future of artificial intelligence is growing brain cells and implementing them into robots. This would be done by culturing brain cells and surrounding them with electrodes to act as an interface. By connecting this “brain” to a robot body, sensory data can be collected and studied. This type of artificial intelligence would provide insight into the brain itself, and can be expanded on in ways such as therapeutic and enhancing “human brain-computer interfaces.” Several trials have been run where humans have electrodes implemented into their brains, and they were able to drive wheelchairs using neural signals and communicate between nervous systems. With these groundbreaking predictions, it is clear that the future of artificial intelligence is bright. There are so many potential forms of technology that could positively impact the way we live our lives. 

Similar to the bias people feel towards today’s artificial intelligence, they believe the future could be worse because of it. Michelle Walling, the editor of a website titled “How to Exit the Matrix” has a strong view on what artificial intelligence will be like in the future. She says, “Artificial intelligence (AI) is the term used to describe the hive mind extraterrestrial technology or super brain computer that the controllers of this planet would like to plug everyone’s brain into.” Her stance is that our brains are being mapped so that a program can be created that will control our brains. This viewpoint baffles me. This article offers bogus information and does not explain what real artificial intelligence is. This is an opinion that has no knowledge of the subject nor a want to learn. It is no secret that the world is advancing tremendously, and there are no plans to stop that. While people are absolutely entitled to their own opinion, this type of bias uses scare tactics and could ultimately result in people fearing artificial intelligence. Another viewpoint that offers some intelligent insight comes from an article by Martin Bryant, in which he interviews a philosopher named Stuart Armstrong. Armstrong’s opinion on the future of artificial intelligence is also one that is negative. His first point is that you can essentially create millions of AI machines and train them, therefore having millions of employees possessing traits that surpass any human ability. Armstrong also argues that it is “extremely hard to design some sort of motivation structure, or programming that results in a safe outcome for such a powerful being.” Armstrong speculates that it is possible that a program could give the desirable outcome of “kill all humans” and the artificial intelligence would carry out that task because it satisfies its program. Overall, this article is meant to, once again, use fear as a tactic to limit the growth of technology. The final statement says, “The uncertainty around AI is why we shouldn’t ignore warnings from people like Stuart Armstrong. When the machines rise, we’ll need to be ready for them.” In reality, humans are the ones creating the machines, and therefore, there shouldn’t be a design flaw that will make any type of “kill all humans” outcome. Both Walling and Armstrong are have extreme views that are not backed by real science. Given the real facts, it is obvious that technology is something that is meant to help us; becoming fearful of it only puts you at more of a risk of not being able to participate in our evolving world.

While the impacts of artificial intelligence all intend to be positive, there could be potential for certain risks. Vincent C. Müller discusses these in his article Risks of general artificial intelligence. This information comes from a conference that was held at Oxford called ‘Impacts and Risks of Artificial General Intelligence.” Müller notes that the possibility of high-level artificial intelligence would impact humanity in such a way that humans may lose the ability to control their fate. According to research done at this conference, by 2050, “the probability of high-level machine intelligence (that surpasses human ability in nearly all aspects) goes beyond the 50% mark…” Other potential risks include artificial intelligence replacing humans. In one article from Digital Music News, author Daniel Adrian Sanchez talks about Sony using artificial intelligence to create two pop songs. Sony’s software learns music styles then composes music in any type of genre. While a human composer was used, the majority of the work was done by the machine Sony created. The concern here is that this type of technology has the potential to replace musical artists. If artificial intelligence can potentially create any song, with any beat, and in any type of style, the variety of real musicians could possibly be eliminated. This is a concern in general when it comes to jobs, and one insurance company in Japan is leaning towards technology. This company is replacing human employees with artificial intelligence in order to increase productivity. The technology is based on IBM’s Watson, and will help the company save large amounts of money on salaries. The risks of artificial intelligence are definitely something to consider. Having machines become significantly smarter than any human and threaten the fate of mankind is alarming. In a TedTalk by Andre LeBlanc, CEO of IQ Evolve, he makes the point that, “Literally every 12 months, human knowledge is doubled.” If we think about this in relation to artificial intelligence being smarter than us, it can be a scary subject. Technology replacing various vocations is a future most people do not want to see. However, there are certainly risks with any endeavor, and I believe that most of these proposed risks will not come to fruition. 

The majority of artificial intelligence risks are speculation. Jerry Kaplan wrote an article that takes each possible risk and debunks it. One of his most important quotes is, “Machines don’t have minds, and there is precious little evidence to suggest they ever will.” The first concern Kaplan discusses is the fear of unemployment. Kaplan notes that the labor market changes in response to automation, with there being a need to create new jobs all the time. He explains it best by saying, “…the benefits of automation make society wealthier, which in turn generates demand for all sorts of new products and services, ultimately expanding the need for workers.” While it may be possible that certain jobs that involve repetitive tasks may be taken over by artificial intelligence, the jobs that require thinking and emotion will not be altered. The other risk Kaplan discusses is the misconception that artificial intelligence will wipe out the earth’s population. Humans design these machines. Technology is not going to become dangerous because it learns to be that way. “Good products, including increasingly autonomous machines and applications, don’t go haywire unless we design them poorly,” is Kaplan’s view on the matter. When we focus on concerns like these instead of what improvements we can make, it creates setbacks and keeps technology from growing. 

Artificial intelligence is growing rapidly, and the impacts is currently has and will bring are very positive. It is very important to understand how this type of technology works in order to form an opinion on how it will affect our lives. The history of artificial intelligence is filled with several progressive and innovative ideas and people. From ideas like deductive reasoning and simple machines, some of the most advanced technology was made. Innovators such as Alan Turing and Arthur Samuel created aspects of technology that make artificial intelligence what it is today. In our current daily lives, artificial intelligence surrounds us. We use intelligent personal assistants to organize our lives and do research. Certain artificial intelligence machines have the potential to improve businesses and their efficiency. Websites like Netflix and Amazon use predictive technology to learn our preferences and help make our lives easier by suggesting shows and products. All of these seem like simple tasks, but they have the ability to improve our lives and drastically change the way we live. The current views on artificial intelligence vary, but some believe that it is dangerous. The current and future views of AI are actually very similar in that many believe that technology will rob them of their jobs and take over the world, like in science fiction movies. While it is understandable to have reservations about the unknown effects of technology, there are several scientific facts to disprove the majority of the risks people have. Humans will always be needed, and artificial intelligence will be around to help us improve the quality of our lives. The current and potential impacts of artificial intelligence are definitely positive. Technology is the way of the world and it is important to know how it is evolving. Understanding the positive effects of artificial intelligence allows us all to encourage research and get ready for the future.
