Artificial Intelligence: A Threat or Aid to the Future of Humanity?

This essay explores the multifaceted impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on humanity's future, examining whether it poses a threat or offers aid. It begins by defining AI and its various components, highlighting its role in technological advancements. The essay delves into specific applications of AI, such as in the automotive industry (self-driving cars), healthcare (disease diagnosis and treatment), video games, and surveillance systems. It analyzes the societal impact of AI, including its effects on employment, cyber security, and the increasing dependence on technology. The essay acknowledges the potential benefits of AI, such as increased efficiency and convenience, while also addressing concerns about privacy, data security, and the need for ethical considerations and regulation. The conclusion emphasizes that AI is continuously evolving due to the advancement in technology and the need for its ethical implementation to ensure its positive impact on society.

IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE A
THREAT OR AN AID TO THE
FUTURE OF HUMANITY?

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Artificial intelligence is a theory and development of machines and computer systems
which can think intelligently and perform various tasks without human intelligence like speech
recognition, visual perception, different language translation, decision making, weather
forecasting and many more(Copeland., 2015). It is sometimes also called as machine
intelligence. There are various components or aspects where artificial intelligence has been
explored like knowledge representation, learning, planning, reasoning, perception, language
processing, ability to move or manipulate objects etc. This assignment will give a brief idea
about how artificial intelligence is an aid for humanity as it leads to human progress and
advancement in technology.
MAIN BODY
Artificial Intelligence is creating new technology that allows machines and computer
systems to function intelligently. AI machines are capable of learning from current data, enhance
themselves from past work and data and take their own decisions or predict something based on
their experience. It is normally described as engineering and science of intelligent computer
programs and machines. It is an intelligent way of making machines or computer programs or
robots controlled by computers or some software thinking intelligently in the same way as
humans think. Artificial Intelligence has made human lives easy with the development of new
technologies making human work easy(Hassabis and et.al., 2017). These new technologies have
made it possible to make any work done within few minutes which humans take days to
complete. In-fact it has become a part of human lives like there are many personal assistant
software or devices like Apple Siri or Alexa which is used by many people. There are also many
devices which are used to analyse given information and then provide solution. Artificial
Intelligence is heading a way where they are least expected like nowadays basic robots are
developed which are used for writing with given instructions.
Evolution of Artificial intelligence started with invention of computers which were
capable to perform various given tasks like performing small calculations, storing data etc. and
has been growing continuously since then. Then these computer systems were further developed
to make them even more powerful so that it could be used in various fields, diverse working
domains with increasing speed so that it can reduce human efforts, time and cost with its small
size and quick response time. Slowly programs and algorithms were developed so that these
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systems can perform all the mathematical or geometrical problems. After some times it was seen
as an opportunity to advance machine learning so that these machines can be used by everyone to
make their work easy and done with efficiency(Sterne., 2017). This was the period of birth of
Artificial intelligence where many scientists started to think and develop machines or computer
systems which can think intelligently and can be used in various fields like in psychology,
engineering, economics etc. This discussion of creating a possible artificial brain which can
perform many tasks simultaneously, learn from the current data and provide solution for making
human live more easy and comfortable became possible.
Today modern Artificial intelligence is used in various fields with different technologies
to make individuals as well as business more easy and convenient. There are various sectors
where Artificial intelligence is used in a better and efficient way like: Automotive Industry:
This advancement in world of Artificial intelligence has also contributed in growth of
Automotive industry with the evolution of self driven cars. These self driven cars need
destination address and with the help of navigation and mapping these cars can be driven without
a driver. There are many companies which are trying to develop these type of self driven cars for
example Waymo which is a self-deriving project of Google which stands a new way forward in
mobility. These cars do not need any driver as they are directly connected to the main computer
systems through which they are navigated to reach their destinations(Dilek, Çakır and Aydın.,
2015). Maybe in future other transportation vehicles will also be focused for this self-driving
technology. Healthcare Sector: Artificial Intelligence is also used in Healthcare Sector in many
ways like diagnosis of dangerous diseases like cancer, brain tumour etc. Now with the help of
advancement in technology it is possible to detect these type of dangerous diseases and provide a
cure for it. AI is also used in assisting doctors to choose correct dose of medicated drug to cure
diseases like cancer as there are more than 800 medicines and vaccines available for its
treatment. There has been a study going on where artificial intelligence can be used to monitor
and try various high-risk patients by asking them several questions and transferring that acquired
data from live doctor-patient interaction. There is a research going on where automatic decisions
can be taken by transferring patients data into system that whether that patient should be refereed
for further treatment or not.
Video Games: Artificial intelligence is used in Gaming world as well. AI has created a virtual 3-
dimensional world where individuals can play with other players as well as with non players
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virtual characters, where they can play with a feeling that they are actually present there. There
are many games like shadow of Mordor where all the non player characters memorize all the past
interactions with the player and other objects which makes it difficult or increases the difficulty
level of the game making it even more interesting. Artificial Intelligence has also helped in
evolution of board games like chess, monopoly etc. which can be played in computer systems
with fictional characters making it even more interesting to play. Surveillance: Surveillance
systems have also been advanced to increase the security of the data or building etc. Initially
security camera were used for monitoring purpose which were operated by humans making it
difficult to monitor these surveillance systems continuously 24*7(Maddox, Rumsfeld and
Payne., 2018). But nowadays with the help of AI, systems are developed which will take input
from security cameras and identify any potential threat either from humans or from any systems
and make it easier for security officers to investigate further for a particular situation.
Artificial Intelligence has made a huge impact on the society in many ways both
individually and from business perspective. Nowadays there are many machines or robots
developed which are used by organizations to make their work easier i.e. it can be done in time,
require fewer employees as well as can be done in budget. Jobs which require more productive
efforts , skills and are needed to be done in perfection are replaced by machines which has
decreased employment rate in the organizations. There are many jobs in organization which
needs labour efforts to be done are replaced by machines as it saves companies money, time,
efforts and overall budget as machines do not require salaries, holidays, break etc. However this
advancement in technology has also created more jobs as these machines requires someone to
operate them, servicing of these systems are also required(Agrawal, Gans and Goldfarb., 2018).
As the technology is increasing threats like cyber crime is also increasing like data theft, hacking
etc. which has created a need of information technology department in organizations to increase
their security systems for the safety of their data, machines etc. This need of security and
handling of machines has created various jobs for individuals. As it is already known that speed
of change in technology is continuously increasing; growth and improvement in machine
learning and performance is also increasing which has created the need for further research so
that this advancement in technology is continuously increasing. This need has also created job
opportunities for humans in various fields like in research field, education field, technological
field and many more.
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This advancement has also helped organizations to change their way of doing business
today companies can capture their customers needs, desires regarding their services and products
with the help of this digitalized world(Artificial Intelligence. 2018). They can connect with their
customers more easily and through digitalization they can do marketing creating awareness
about their brand, products and services through social media marketing, advertisement
marketing or visualization marketing to increase their customer base. In health care sector it has
made it possible to predict and diagonals many diseases which can be treated in a better and
efficient way(Gil and et.al., 2014). It has developed hopes in people that they can be treated and
cured from any disease and can live longer without any concerns like nowadays artificial heart
machines have been developed which can be replaced with human heart in case of heart failure
which functions in a similar way as human heart does. Elderly care has also been increased with
the help of robots, which can perform their daily jobs technically even with the voice command.
All these jobs can be done in an efficient manner which makes it possible for elder people to
live independently without anyone's help. But this advancement also has a side effect as all the
individuals or organizations have become completely dependent on these technologies and use it
in their daily lives. People are becoming more and more dependent on these technologies
whether it use of mobiles or computer systems or video games etc.
As it has already been discussed that Artificial intelligence is playing a major role in
today's society and will play even bigger role in the coming years. There are many expert
systems which are replacing human professionals in their fields like supercomputers are being
used for weather forecasting. Nowadays already robots are carrying out many tasks done by
humans maybe in future robots will be used to automate tasks that are not possible
today(Makridakis., 2017). That time is not far away when Artificial intelligence will exceed
human intelligence by continuously improving themselves. There are many fields where AI
needs development and maybe in future it may be done like it can be used for giving legal
advices to people at lower cost or in medical field it can be used to tackle incurable diseases and
can be expanded to give expert medical advice to patients without requiring any additional
medical specialist. But there are also factors where also some areas where it need to be
controlled so that it does not convert into dystopia for example as increasing use of Artificial
intelligence has been a topic to worry about individual privacy, military or in employment. There
are many technologies available which are capable of independent target selection. Today Big
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Data is being used by many organizations and government, so as a result personal information of
employees as well as individuals has been continuously compromised. It can be said that this
continuously changing and evolving technology is benefiting the society but with some side
effects like people are becoming too much dependent on these technologies and they also need
to compromise with the security of their personal data or information for example recently
Facebook data theft happened where personal information of more that 80 million users was
compromised(Cockburn, Henderson and Stern., 2018). No doubt Artificial intelligence is an aid
for humanity as it is leading to human progress but it need to be regulated and to be used with
complete security, protocols and ethics. There are many ways through which it can act as an aid
for humans where rather than replacing humans with robots or machines, they can be used and
operated by humans so that data or information security is not compromised. So, it can be said
that Artificial intelligence is an aid for future. Future of AI is bright but the brighter it becomes,
more threats will increase for society so it needs to be used in a way that individuals or
organizations doesn't need to compromise with their ethics(Brundage., 2015).
CONCLUSION
From the above assignment it has been concluded that artificial intelligence is
continuously evolving due to advancement in technology. It is used in various fields making
human work easier for both individuals and for business whether it is in Automotive industry or
in health care or in any other sector, it has been proved beneficial for the society. However, this
has also created some threats for humans like they need to compromise with their personal data
or information. So, it need to be regulated in order to be an aid for the future.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Agrawal, A., Gans, J.S. and Goldfarb, A., 2018. The economics of artificial
intelligence. McKinsey Quarterly, April.
Brundage, M., 2015. Utopia, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Justice.
Cockburn, I.M., Henderson, R. and Stern, S., 2018. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on
Innovation (No. w24449). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Copeland, J., 2015. Artificial intelligence: A philosophical introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
Dilek, S., Çakır, H. and Aydın, M., 2015. Applications of artificial intelligence techniques to
combating cyber crimes: A review. arXiv preprint arXiv:1502.03552.
Gil, Y., and et.al., 2014. Amplify scientific discovery with artificial
intelligence. Science. 346(6206). pp.171-172.
Hassabis, D., and et.al., 2017. Neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence. Neuron. 95(2).
pp.245-258.
Maddox, T.M., Rumsfeld, J.S. and Payne, P.R., 2018. Questions for Artificial Intelligence in
Health Care. Jama.
Makridakis, S., 2017. The forthcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution: Its impact on
society and firms. Futures. 90. pp.46-60.
Sterne, J., 2017. Artificial intelligence for marketing: practical applications. John Wiley & Sons.
Online
Artificial Intelligence. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.techopedia.com/definition/190/artificial-intelligence-ai>
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