There have been significant changes brought about by the introduction of computers and technology. There are numerous technologies present today and among those Artificial Intelligence is probably the center of attention. For both good and bad reasons AI is today a hot topic. AI is a progressive step to technological advancements. Among the many benefits of AI is one that can be flipped upside down and framed as a threat, that is AI aiding different professions. This article aims to ease the minds of those who believe in such threats or myths.
Like every other technology, Artificial Intelligence is also a technology that is meant for making our lives easier. AI is an arm of computer science that aims to build smart machines and is designed to perform tasks that require human intellect.
Moreover, many organizations are using this technology on their devices, some of which are widely accepted and used by us. The best examples of these AI technologies are as follows:
- Automatic cars with self-driving features
- Google Assistants, Siri, Alexa, and similar others
- Email Spam Filters
- Conversational chatbots inbuilt in websites
Busting the Myths and Concerns around AI
The human brain prefers to be cautious and avoid anything that it interprets as a threat to it. And thus people often believe myths and avert taking risks by experiencing new technology. We have mentioned 5 myths or concerns and also tried to state their realities below in this article. We hope to clarify a few of the myths.
Myth 1: Oh There Goes Our Jobs!
We gave a slight glimpse of this one in our introduction. The idea that AI will automate repetitive, mundane, or low-skill jobs and tasks is agreed upon by a wide range of people. Such statements cause confusion and fear among low-skilled workers and laborers which in turn leads them to alienate new technology.
Busting it – What needs to be noted is that close attention should be paid to the statement made. AI might automate a few tasks or jobs but it does not mean that it will cause widespread job loss and unemployment. What AI aims to do is phase out tasks that don’t need human attention, this will free humans to avert their focus and intelligence on tasks that require thorough analysis and decision making. Take tractors, for example, a lot of people were initially against the idea of using them because they feared this would cause unemployment. Contrary to their belief, tractors helped increase technology, what everyone forgot was that tractors required someone to operate and drive it.
However, this surely replaces unproductive and repetitive tasks but on the other end, it also generates more works and different skills. The emergence of AI is developing humans’ skills in more advanced forms and helping them to enhance their capabilities.
Myth 2: They’re Smarter Than Us!
Another misconception about Artificial Intelligence is that it can overtake human intellect. To some extent, this can be seen as a result of the depiction of AI in sci-fi movies like I, Robot, and The Matrix. This popularises that humans’ intelligence is inferior to the machine’s intelligence.
Busting it – The real fact is that intelligence is measurable in various dimensions. It is true that machines and AI are excellent at calculations and recalling. However, there are several other dimensional factors that humans can perform better. For example, Emotional ability, creative ability, strategical thinking, and some others. This suggests that the machines are far away from human brains and cannot overtake them anytime soon.
Myth 3: Why is AI So Confusing and Complex?
Technology can be confusing to many and many might not even know what exactly is meant by AI. Anything that is new is confusing, especially in the beginning. But as time goes by and we learn about the features and how to operate them, new technologies become our close friends.
Busting it – While some of the technologies are surely complicated and confusing, not all of them are. To give an example, take SIRI the virtual assistant present in almost all Apple Inc.’s devices. SIRI is an example of AI, people were a little dubious about it at the beginning but SIRI is now used by people of all ages. The complexity of a technology depends on the audience it caters to while all might not be rocket science some of them definitely are. But if the end-user is ready to learn and understand the technology, it becomes a little less confusing.
Myth 4: AI = Machine Learning = Deep Learning?
These technical terms are often thought to represent the same technology and are used in place of each other. When it comes to technology a lot of people tend to misjudge and misrepresent them. There might be some similarities in these three terms, but they also differ from each other.
Busting it – Artificial Intelligence is the prevalent term used by people. However, AI has no absolute technical definition. To put it roughly, AI is a broad term that means to make things or machines smart. Whereas, Machine learning (ML) is a part or type of AI. ML lets software applications automatically improve by experience and use of data. It includes the study of computer algorithms. And Deep Learning is a branch of machine learning and AI which aims to emulate the way humans gain experience. While ML uses linear algorithms, deep learning is a multi-layered learning method that is built around artificial neural networks. The latter two terms are subsets of the first term, AI.
Myth 5: Well My Business Doesn’t Need AI!
Businesses and their management team often believe that there are still ways to go about their business without using AI technology. Small and medium enterprises have traditionally been the last of the batch to hop on the bandwagon of new technologies.
Busting it – Going forward every business will benefit from using advanced technology as it will reduce cost and reduce the product life cycle. AI will help simplify a lot of business processes and contribute to consumer satisfaction.
Conclusion – AI can sound overwhelming or threatening but it is a technology made by humans with years of hard work. While it is still an evolving technology, AI in its current state is a powerful tool meant to ease the human workload and raise standards of living!
