Artificial Intelligence: Promises, Challenges and Implications
From steam engine to electricity and digital revolution, human history has witnessed a remarkable journey of human development through a series of Industrial Revolutions. We are presently in the throes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where the convergence of physical, digital and biological systems is fundamentally transforming the way we live, work and interact. Now, we are in an era that embeds human intelligence on machines called Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is not merely a technological shift but a profound evolution in human experience where machines are not just tools, but our intelligent partners. AI performs tasks once thought to be the sole domain of human intellect. Over the past decade, AI and Machine Learning (ML) have brought about an epochal transformation across the globe. It is reshaping societies, economies and governance and continues to impact the future of humanity across every industry.
From chatbots and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, to the platforms such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon, and now to advanced AI models like ChatGPT, new innovations and advances are continuously emerging on the scene. From writing and coding to diagnosing diseases, AI is doing wonders across various sectors of healthcare, education, finance, agriculture and governance. ML is being used to study diseases for drug discovery and identifying new materials for next-generation electronic devices. AI-algorithms analyze medical images to detect diseases such as cancer at an early. In education, AI-powered platforms offer personalized learning. In agriculture, it helps optimize farming, improve crop yield, and reduce consumption. AI is the driving force behind self-driving cars, humanoid robots, IoT and real-time comprehension and translation of various languages. It has attained power to solve complex real-world problems and surpass humans in various games
The engineering marvel operates by collecting, processing and learning from vast amounts of data. The data is gathered from diverse sources such as sensors, cameras, microphones, GPS, temperature monitors, stored databases, and even remote cloud inputs. It is then analyzed using algorithms to identify patterns, find regular trends or behaviors to make decisions, predict outcomes based on the insights generated. Software’s run algorithms that tell the computer what steps to follow to produce results. For example, in case of self-driving cars, the cameras, radar, map and traffic plans provide data which are analyzed and actions are taken in real time. With massive improvements in storage, processing power and analytic techniques, AI systems have become remarkably sophisticated in analysis and decision-making.
The rapidly developing unprecedented power of AI has raised both curiosity and concerns across the globe. As the technology grows smarter and faster, most traditional careers are increasingly being automated, threatening to displace millions of jobs in the near future. Countries with predominantly low-skilled roles are likely to face significant job losses, while nations like the US, China, European countries, Japan and India with strong education and advanced technological and industrial infrastructures are better equipped to capitalize on the AI era. Driven by a robust talent pool, vast data resources and supportive policies with focus on integrating AI across all sectors and reskilling workforce, India is rapidly emerging as an AI powerhouse.
According to Bill Gates, only three types of jobs-coders, energy specialists and biologists are likely to survive the AI revolution because they are creative jobs, involving original human thinking that would play key roles in the development and innovations and help AI to sustain and grow. To keep pace with rapidly evolving AI, people have to go through a constant cycle of learning, unlearning and relearning, only then they can stay relevant in the newly evolving employment landscape.
The second biggest concern about AI systems is that they can be manipulated with incorrect data to produce any desired outcome. The researchers are warning that AI can learn unwanted and unexpected behavior from the vast amounts of data they analyze, generating untruthful, biased and otherwise toxic information. The images, videos and recordings can be superimposed on target files to alter reality which adds to confusion and uncertainty. This can pose serious and unexpected problems especially in sensitive areas like healthcare, finance, news and public policy.
Bad actors actively exploit AI systems to create deepfakes, launch cyber attacks, and manipulate public opinion on a large scale. A major academic concern is AI’s ability to simulate intellectual contributions, especially scientific research papers-posing a serious threat to the integrity and future of science. Humans working closely with robots would be under a constant threat due to some manipulation or malfunctioning and sometimes a chatbot could encourage a person for suicide. AI models have shown behaviors like lying and threatening their creators to achieve their goals.
Considering the historical tendency of the human race especially those who have power and resources, there are true fears that the technology could be misused. In hybrid warfare in which traditional military tactics and non-military methods-such as cyber attacks, misinformation, economic pressure and political influence can be started to destabilize an opponent without engaging a full-scale war. A scenario, where AI gaining control over military systems, dangerous technologies such as fission, fusion, some malfunctioning or misuse could trigger a nuclear war that would wipe out the entire life on earth.
The popular science fiction film “The Terminator” combines action, suspense and deep philosophical questions about technology, free will and the future of mankind. It serves as a powerful warning about what might happen if AI surpasses human control. In 2014, Stephen Hawking told the BBC that “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race”. His concern stemmed from the idea of AI reaching “singularity”- a point at which AI surpasses human intelligence. There are voices around the world that we are creating our own masters urging that AI be firmly controlled and not allowed to have the upper hand over humanity and that we cannot allow powerful algorithms decide our destiny.
As AI continues to penetrate our lives, becoming increasingly intelligent and autonomous, it is important to recognize that AI systems lack genuine understanding of facts. Its responses are generated from previously existing information or from reshuffling of data. To think that AI would stumble upon a new science like Einstein stumbled upon relativity, will be a fantasy. True knowledge is built on curiosity, integrity and rigorous inquiry, not on shortcuts or fabrication. Major concern is that if we become too dependent on machines, we may lose our ability to think.
The new era of AI holds immense potential to shape human civilization. It is set to propel new era of computation and with Quantum Computing could take innovations to another level. It is emerging as a key driver of economic growth and is expected to create more jobs than it displaces. Staying competitive in this evolving landscape requires us to adapt, learn and embrace these emerging technologies. Given its vast potential and various concerns and challenges, it is imperative that we move forward with caution and responsibility and see that appropriate regulations are in place and ethical concerns are clearly addressed.
Prof(Dr) Mohammed Amin Malik,
College Principal, Higher Education Department, J&K
