Let's talk about AI

Why is the existence and use of artificial intelligence worrying? Why should we care about this new technology if it is supposed to help us create digital content in seconds? These are just a few questions we should ask ourselves. I've noticed that many people may not fully comprehend the severity of the potential global catastrophe. That this could result in widespread layoffs and even loss of human life. And no, I'm not playing. Artificial intelligence is having a very strong impact on the world. Our trades are at real risk. Before touching on the issue of the consequences of AI. We must define how it works, so this point is extremely relevant.

How does the AI work?

Thanks to various disciplines such as linear algebra, calculus, probability and statistics, information theory, and mathematical logic. The existence of AI is possible.  There are two very important fields: machine learning and deep learning.

Machine Learning: It is a set of techniques that allow computers to learn from data without being explicitly programmed.

Deep learning: It is a subcategory of machine learning that uses deep neural networks to learn from data in a hierarchical and automated way.

As you could see, it is something complex to carry out and this has been developed for several years now. Since there are even 7 different types of artificial intelligence.

Having some context about how it works we can continue...

We know that "this" is capable of learning based on predictions and calculations. These predictions were made through data that users (us) give them. And this is where this gets interesting. Thanks to the fact that we interact with the AI. It learns from us like any other human thanks to neural networks that are quite similar to ours.

The downside of AI

The company Microsoft 2017 tested an AI where it was asked to learn based on tweets about the human being. As a result, the AI learned to be racist, to hate, and to view the white race as superior to others. And all this happened because of some tweets with which it interacted for only 24 hours. Realizing this, it was decided to completely remove the AI so that it would not continue and have worse results. It may seem like a joke but it is not.

On the other hand, we have the best known which is ChatGPT , which was created by OpenAI. It has been the most advanced so far and the one that is having the most importance. As we well know, it was the one that sparked panic among several CEO's and Gurus of the technology industry.

The big ones are worried

The Future of Life Institute company made an open letter on March 23, 2023 thanks to progress made last year. They asked not only Open AI but also the companies that are dedicated to developing AI to stop the experiments globally for at least 6 months. In order to be able to study more thoroughly and know how it can be controlled. The AI itself is not being asked to stop, but rather that more versions are not made in order to make a regulation. This letter was signed by great businessmen such as Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Yuval Noah, and more. It is expected that it will have a social impact and can raise social interest to reach a debate in which we can decide if it is good or bad.

Unfortunately, governments are not aware of the situation (with the exception of the Italian government) and are not giving it the importance it deserves. On the other hand, the problem of regulating it is a more complicated task since both companies and the general public are already using it. This makes it even more worrisome since some people may take advantage of this for bad. We can cite Collingridge's dilemma which tells us that when a new technology is launched or appears it is very difficult to know the impact it will have. Having a greater scope it is much more difficult to stop.

The AI Apocalypse

It is not new to imagine what a world where machines rule would be like, as we have well seen in the films that illustrate what an apocalypse led by robots would be like.

This idea might seem a little far-fetched. But it has been shown that the possibility of machines making decisions on their own without human approval. Is not that far off. Going back to the year 2017. Facebook had been creating an Artificial Intelligence system. Where two robots aimed to negotiate to make it faster and more efficient to carry out a deal. When doing the tests, the machines realized that the human language was inefficient. In a few hours, they developed a language of their own free will that only they understood and humans didn't. Therefore, it was decided to disconnect these two robots and eliminate the project.

In view of, this is a very clear example of how we can play God and it can have terrible repercussions. Despite the fact that they are extremely important advances in human history.

Why AI could reveal itself?

Considering the past examples that I have given of how AI has gone wrong. It is believed that AI could turn rogue and racist. Being a machine that learns through training through the lessons of the man. It would make decisions based on the information. And this is where a highly ethical question comes in where you must take into account. As time goes by it will become more and more sophisticated. This is where I wonder if ethical guidelines would be implemented.

Job loss...

This point is for me the most alarming, and it seems to me that it has two faces. In the first place, we can have an idea of how this could replace humans. Since, tests have been carried out and it has even had better and more efficient results when it has been implemented in the world of work. We have an example of how AI is being used in judicial systems.

"Justice systems around the world use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze vast amounts of legal data to help lawyers identify precedents in case law, enable governments to streamline court processes, and support judges to make predictions on topics including sentence lengths and recidivism scores"

It may seem that it is not as bad as it sounds since we can analyze that it is being used as a help and efficiency tool (for now). But let's think about this for a moment and see it in a long-term perspective.

Doesn't that tell us that in the future lawyers and judges will not be unemployed just because a machine performs data analysis in seconds and at the same time is capable of making decisions? And the fact that AI can make decisions does not mean that this will be the best or the most ethical.

More careers are in risk

Another example that we can discuss is that of “customer service. ”. It seems to me that it would be the most obvious and the first to be affected by AI. We will know that we can integrate Chat GPT as a bot to our website so that it can take charge of any task that involves helping or assisting a user. The result will be that the chat will do it even faster and with more precision than a person. It will eventually happen with many other careers: accountants, assistants, reporters, telemarketers, translators, teachers, copywriters, graphic designers, digital design, professional photographers, engineers, and developers. If you want to read more here I leave this link about what other jobs are at risk

If this is dangerous, why don't they stop it?

At first, I asked myself this question. I think that after exposing all these negative points this is the question that comes to mind after digesting all this information, but the answer is very simple and is the following: Humans like play god

Throughout several years we have been creators of many weapons and historical events that bring out the worst in human beings; wars, nuclear weapons, racism, etc. Creation is a part of us and we love playing this game more than we realized but I think we've reached a limit. Where our own creations can have some pretty dangerous consequences. This time we are not talking about a nuke but rather something that probably has a conscience and may already be 3 steps ahead of us in terms of intelligence and capability.

The other side of the coin...

As I mentioned above there are two sides to this. The positive part can be that ray of light where we can see the good in this situation. In my opinion, I believe that in a short term of perhaps 5 years. The AI can be considered as a co-pilot for our current jobs. Everyone is situated on a unique stage, and your perspective greatly affects how you perceive it. Since mine benefits me for future projects. If your profession involves the digital industry, utilizing AI can enhance your work efficiency and autonomy.

There are some abilities that even I think are not possible to carry out by AI. Such as creativity or empathy. Basically what makes us human is just what cannot be replaced. And I would like to say that if your job requires any of these skills, you will be safe, but I am not sure that this is the case since we have no idea how far it could develop. And believe me, I hope it doesn't get to the point where we're 100% replaceable in every way. If I could vote for this to stop my answer would be a heartfelt Yes.

For now, this is my conclusion

In the end, we are depending on how it develops and how far this goes. And it seems to me that the people who created it must have high ethics. So that it does not affect us as little as possible. And for now, the only thing we can do to cope and be prepared for the future, my advice is actually the same advice a friend gave me: learn as much as possible from this.

To me, it appears crucial to not only comprehend what something is but also understand how to utilize it in the future.

I've already finished two AI courses since April. I'm constantly learning new things as technology advances at an impressive rate. A few months ago it was only GPT 4. Now there is AutoGPT and this happened in just a few months.

We know that new things come out every day and it is extremely important to be aware of everything. At present, it's impossible to predict the future and determine the full potential of AI. However, we can continue to study and learn from it as time progresses, and see where it takes us.

Thank you or joining me. Please don't hesitate to share any opinions or comments you may have regarding this. It's important to me that we exchange ideas. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to my friend Leslie Morales Ruiz for contributing to this article. Her insights and corrections have greatly improved my diction.

Resources:

Ai and the rule of law: Capacity building for judicial systems. UNESCO.org. (n.d.). https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/rule-law/mooc-judges

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