Should We Be Concerned by the Rise of AI?

As AI continues to rise, there is a growing concern over the possible state of human uselessness. Various questions have been posed to humanity such as Will AI put us out of our jobs? Are we truly going to be dummies to the intelligence of AI? Will the world be ruled by AI dictators? What is the economic disposition of AI towards capitalism?

However, as a Historian, I am concerned about the impact of this technological revolution on mankind and perhaps its fears of what is to come. In order to fully understand this view, perhaps we should start with the preceding revolution, a major turnaround for mankind—I mean, the Industrial Revolution.

Brief History of the Industrial Revolution

In the second half of the 18th century, there was a sudden societal change with the introduction of machines like the Spinning Jenny, Steam Engine, and Cotton Gin.

However, with the growth of this revolution, the existing agricultural revolution which needed much manpower began to dwindle and consequently led to the abolishment of the slave trade in 1807 which occurred years before for the sake of manpower.

What this revolution then caused is the reskilling of hitherto farm workers into a suitable workforce that fits the industrial economy. This means those who were formerly farmers now had to reskill to become a mechanic or boilermakers. Hence, it can be deduced that despite the economic reshape which was heralded by the industrial revolution, it also created another class of workers or another set of job opportunities.

But will this be the case with Artificial Intelligence?

In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, a book, Yuval posited that at least in the short term, AI and robotics are unlikely to eliminate entire industries. Jobs that require specialisation in a narrow range of routinised activities will be automated. But it will be more difficult to replace humans with machines in less routine jobs that demand the simultaneous use of wide range of skills, and that involve dealing with unforeseen scenarios (Yuval N. Horari, 2018)

One of the characteristics of the industrial revolution is its mechanization capabilities. This means rather than the automation of tasks, the first industrial revolution still relies on manpower to function effectively. This means despite the invention of the steam engine, a man still needs to be behind the wheel, the same as other locomotives invested in this period.

However, the case of AI is a different case due to the level of intellect compounded into the tools/engines.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science and engineering focused on the creation of intelligent machines that can think and act like humans. These intelligent systems can be trained to perform a wide range of tasks, including recognizing patterns, making decisions, and solving problems. Some examples of AI include virtual assistants like Apple's Siri or Amazon's Alexa, self-driving cars, and facial recognition software.

There are several types of AI, including narrow or weak AI, which is designed to perform a specific task, and general or strong AI, which is designed to be able to perform any intellectual task that a human can. Some of the techniques used to create AI include machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics.

AI has the potential to revolutionize many different fields and has already been used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and education. However, there are also concerns about the potential impacts of AI on society, including job displacement and the ethical implications of creating intelligent machines. (ChatGPT, 2022)

From the definition generated by ChatGPT, it can be noted that the essence of AI is to bridge the intellectual gap provided by the first generation of the industrial revolution. This intellectual gap is the ability of logical reasoning which is why AI is concerned with the thinking and acting of man.

Hence the question: if AI is concerned with the aspect of human cognitive stance, what then will humans be in the place of work?

The truth is, AI will do a more concise job logically than any person on it because in the face of some conundrum situations (what philosophers have classified as trolley questions) humans have the tendency of swerving into emotions rather than the theories they've amassed over the years. Whereas, a robot without a modicum of consciousness will solve these trolley questions based on logic, accurately.

The question itself requires a lot of critical thinking. As a Historian, going with the industrial revolution I may be quick to result in the answers I have at hand which is that AI will also create another type of job for the man. Or a man will become adaptable to the environment so that its impact won't be felt.

In its few introductions, AI has become quite interesting, implementing the human ability to think and bring out extraordinary results. Tools like Midjourney, DALL.E, ChatGPT, Copy and others have shown results that it is very possible that AI creates a class of useless Humans by revealing a surprising work compared to that of Humans.

Cases like this have been recorded and one of them was Jason Allen's Midjourney art which won the Colorado State Fair’s Fine Arts Competition.

It is, therefore, noted that in a few years, the stand of AI will no longer be of controversial theory rather it will be real, perhaps almost synonymous with the Swansong movie.

Conclusion

AI functions principally on Data, and the abundance of Data comes from Humans. Hence, indirectly AI still functions based on Humans' guidance. However, the automation characteristics of AI give it more edge in accuracy than any man. While the capacity of what a robot can take is larger and more detailed than a man, it is very much important that consciousness still makes man distinct from everything. And in some instances, emotion can spearhead intelligence which is one of the things AI seems to lack at the moment.