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The Double-edged Sword of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence isn’t about to kill us all but there are some pertinent issues associated with the technology.
The popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has grown significantly over the past few months. Techies, journalists, and others are astonished by its endless possibilities. Even its speedy responsiveness and multitasking prowess have persuaded us to view it as an integral component of modern life. Don’t worry if you have writer’s block, simply instruct ChatGPT to write something for you. While not completely flawless, ChatGPT can potentially write articles, compose lyrics, and update your CV instantaneously.
Following the astounding success of ChatGPT, other tech titans such as Microsoft and Google have entered the AI-generated chatbot race with their own versions. To make people’s lives simpler, the tech world is incorporating more specialized functions into artificial intelligence. Consequently, the demand for employing artificial intelligence from the household to the workplace is augmenting daily.
Even though this technology is integrating into our lives, many researchers, scientists, and even business leaders have expressed reservations about artificial intelligence. One of the primary concerns expressed about AI is the potential it has to replace humans in many of today’s jobs.
The McKinsey Global Institute predicts that by 2030, artificial intelligence will trigger the loss of 800 million jobs worldwide. Due to AI’s multitasking potential, automation could one day replace many human workers. Think of the spaceship from WALL-E.
Currently, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are utilizing AI extensively. As an effect of slowing population growth, these countries are experiencing labor shortages. Thus, automation has helped address worker shortages.
The world was excited to learn that GPT-3 had written an article for The Guardian in 2020. Artificial intelligence’s strengths include error-free completion, instantaneous response, error detection and correction, and the presentation of results. This is why automation could eventually replace some manual labor.
In this Fourth Industrial Revolution, propagandists have used artificial intelligence to manipulate voters and the general public. The algorithm that drives artificial intelligence can be programmed to try and alter public opinion. Suppose you are a regular consumer of social media and watch endless hours of YouTube or spend countless time scrolling Twitter. Based on your preferences, the algorithm may recommend content associated with hate groups or morally bankrupt politicians who are borderline racist. This is how AI-generated tools influence human thought.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, AI was employed to circulate propaganda and falsehoods. The now-defunct British firm Cambridge Analytica played a decisive role in the election by spreading falsehoods through algorithmic abuse on social media. During the lead-up to the Brexit vote, Brexiters hired Cambridge Analytica to gin up public support to leave the European Union.
Concerns about the misuse of AI in politics have been rekindled. The Republican National Committee recently released a deepfake video painting President Biden as an authoritarian strongman, which if you follow U.S. politics, is laughable. Experts warn that the 2024 presidential election will be overrun by these sorts of misuse of technology.
Moreover, Russian disinformation against Ukraine has been ongoing since the invasion in February 2022. Russia’s homegrown troll armies utilize AI-generated profiles of Ukrainians as propaganda tools. Russian online trolls have been painting Ukrainian President Zelensky, amongst other things, as a Nazi, despite being Jewish. In this way, artificial intelligence is causing conflicts, social and political divisions, and even the propagation of harmful stereotypes.
Concerning global security, cyber warfare has become a major issue. Hackers routinely target vulnerable countries with shoddy cyberinfrastructure. North Korean hackers plundered $81 million from Bangladesh Bank in 2016. Countries such as China track their citizens using AI. Beijing can inspect mobile phones, texts, conversations, banking transactions, and so on to ensure that Chinese citizens don’t stray too far ideologically.
Our reliance on artificial intelligence may jeopardize human thought and creativity. Using AI tools such as ChatGPT, students can complete their homework assignments. Even users can deceive recruiters by exaggerating their CVs. Many creative jobs are already performed by artificial intelligence. Side characters in movies, songwriters, and audiobook commentary are all tasks that can be handled by AI.
In a nutshell, it is crucial to follow the ethical usage of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is undeniably a marvel of human ingenuity. The analog era is fast coming to an end. However, when rules are officially established about artificial intelligence’s ethical usage, we have to agree to abide by those guidelines.
Ashiq Iqbal Jishad is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Dhaka. His research interests include defense, immigration, Transatlantic relations, Eurasia, the European Union, and NATO.