* Artificial intelligence, just around the corner *
Artificial intelligence is an area in which more and more people are working and better prepared. Currently we do not know what the level of development is. Advances tend to be classified information, of which we usually have deferred news. However, several of the advances that have taken place in this area are already public knowledge.
We know, for example, that artificial intelligence is being applied to all repetitive tasks. In no time, robots will replace humans in these tasks. This will only be the beginning of that new revolution that is approaching and whose protagonists are increasingly complex devices.
" To date, a computer that is aware of what it is doing has not been designed; but, most of the time, we are not either. "
-Marvin Minsky-
We still do not know how to affect all these changes to culture. What is known is that just as new technologies transformed our everyday life, new developments in artificial intelligence bring great changes. All this is closer than many think.
Artificial intelligence and a look to the future
Antonio Orbe is a psychologist and also an expert in the field of artificial intelligence. He published a book called "A look to the future". In this paper, he tries to approach a description of what the world will be like in the short and medium term. Ensures, above all other reflections, that it is reasonable to assume that many jobs will disappear soon.
The first consequence of this fact is an increase in inequality. Many workers will not have income. They will be unemployed, obviously. This will force to take political, economic and social measures to face the new situation.
Orbes has an optimistic view on this. It indicates that it is not out of the question to think about a new world in which everything stops being oriented towards work. In return, leisure could take a leading role. The humans, then, we would dedicate ourselves to carry out activities to improve the welfare of all in collaborative environments.
The human being competes with technology
Orbe also suggests that there is an implicit competition between technology and the human being. Much of the new developments in artificial intelligence will have a very definite application: replace the work that people now do. This not only applies to the world of work, but also to personal life.
He also talks about the difficulty of the human being to adapt to new technologies. The rhythm is getting faster. This requires that the adaptation be permanent. This is achieved successfully in many cases at the individual level.
However, on the social level, adaptation is not so fast. While artificial intelligence advances like a rocket, societies move to the rhythm of a bicycle. It is possible that this is a source of instability and even tension. The advance can be very uneven.
The future of artificial intelligence
Orbes dismisses the fear, partly caused by science fiction movies and partly by common sense, that robots take control of everything. It indicates that we are still far from "general" artificial intelligence. That is, it is capable of taking any problem presented to it and solving it satisfactorily and autonomously.
What there is today is concrete artificial intelligence. This type of intelligence is only capable of performing a specific task group. He does it optimally, but he can not get out of that frame because he does not have the capacity for it. All current developments in technology are oriented towards concrete intelligence. It is precisely that which will replace the human being in a good number of jobs.
Theoretically, there is a high probability that artificial intelligence will become consciousness. Basically, all the intellectual capabilities of a human being can be replicated by a machine. However, from the technical point of view, we are still a long way from this.
Finally, it indicates that one of the most interesting aspects of artificial intelligence is that it forces us to rethink our meaning as human beings. If that's what machines do, what am I capable of doing? What value or effect does what I do in that context? What distinguishes me from the machine? These are all questions that will become increasingly relevant. In principle, everyone has to find their own answer.
AI technology has advanced so fast lately. It is true that we don't know the entire extent of it, but research in this industry has been widely supported. Chatbots are a good example. Wiredelta has a chatbot functioning on the FaceBook chat and there are many users that forget they are talking to a machine. It is fascinating to see their conversation. Good post!