Three Advantages and Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence
time：2022-10-31
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For writers and screenwriters, the danger of AI has always been a popular plot, but these works rarely treat this technology fairly.
Although some enterprises try to create the Hollywood dream of intelligent robots, artificial intelligence is usually used in less obvious ways, whether it is automatic factory production, simplifying business processes, or recommending people's online shopping.
Alexa of AWS or Cortana of Microsoft are popular voice assistants, which will also affect the public's view of AI. They represent a technology that is far more complex than it seems. However, Alexa also provides an example of how AI can have unintended consequences in society.
Use Cases of Artificial Intelligence
With the further expansion of the scale of use, although there are AI systems like Watson and AlphaGo, these systems have proved that they can even defeat the most successful human opponents. One example is the AI system that defeated five professional poker players.
Although these typical examples may attract people's attention, most of the use of AI is still going on quietly behind the scenes.
Similar to the voice assistant example, if you use Google's Gmail email service, you may notice that it now displays text as people type. When replying to Sarah's email, it will prompt the user's name when typing "Hi" or "Hello" halfway. If you start typing "How", it provides additional suggestions (such as "Who you?" In the first sentence or the second sentence), and can be modified at any time when entering the sentence.
A key use case of AI is data mining to help enterprises, government organizations and other institutions make informed decisions in all aspects, from strategy to product development, much faster than ever before.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg that has touched on the potential of AI. In fact, it is used in countless fields and scenarios, many of which are described in detail below.
However, like all technologies, AI has the potential to bring both benefits and negative results. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, and Stephen Hawking, the late theoretical physicist and cosmologist, both believed that AI was a threat to human survival.
So is AI a force for good? Or should people naturally distrust it?
Advantages of Artificial Intelligence
In the next few years, people can expect AI to provide more services for consumers, enterprises and the public sector. Many technical experts predict that people will soon be surrounded by Internet of Things devices, which can accelerate the completion of complex tasks and perform ordinary tasks. Many of the benefits offered by AI will revolve around the workplace.
(1) Improve efficiency
Today, data is as important to business as oil, so it is necessary to process these data accurately and quickly to obtain real-time results. DeepMind is a good example of using this kind of artificial intelligence to diagnose eye diseases that affect vision with the same accuracy as the world's top clinicians.
The research work carried out by the Eye Research Institute of the University of London and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London may open the way for hospitals in the UK to adopt artificial intelligence systems. With the aid of artificial intelligence systems, doctors can spend less time studying thousands of eye scans, and can help diagnose patients' conditions in a few seconds.
(2) Eliminate human errors
Even the best people are prone to make mistakes, whether it's inattention or simple mistakes. However, AI machines built to perform specific tasks do not show these characteristics.
Ocado, an online supermarket, uses automated machines to control thousands of robots in its warehouse, and communicates with them 10 times per second to coordinate the logistics and distribution of a large number of goods. However, it is worth noting that the system is not completely fault free: in July 2021, the company was forced to cancel thousands of orders after a machine collision and fire in one of its distribution centers.
(3) Provide more intelligent technology
Similar to Ocado, AI will be used to power many automated services for people in the future. These services may be intelligent cities that are expected to improve the environment, or autonomous vehicle that use artificial intelligence to navigate roads and assess obstacles.
The ability of AI machines to process large datasets quickly and accurately is critical to the operation of many intelligent technologies and environments. An example of this has been run on many top smartphones, where AI runs in the background and constantly adjusts phone settings to maximize performance.
Disadvantages of AI
New or existing technologies may also be completely subverted and used for evil purposes, or produce adverse side effects. This is also true of AI.
In 2016, the United States established an industry organization, including five Silicon Valley giants, which benefits mankind and society through its AI partnership. The agency is committed to promoting the fair and ethical development of AI technologies, which are likely to bring about as much disruption as possible and benefit from it.
(1) Artificial intelligence for decision-making in the workplace
The speed and efficiency of some AI programs make them attractive to executives who want to find more value in the enterprise.
Watson of IBM has been used to judge the quality and skills that employees may have in the future by reviewing their experience and past projects, so as to determine whether employees deserve a raise, bonus or promotion.
Decision software used in this way has raised some concerns. The British Confederation of Trade Unions, which represents the majority of trade unions in the UK, recently called for legislative reforms to protect employees from such technologies. It also recommends that employers consult the union before deploying such systems.
Frances O'Grady, Secretary General of the British Confederation of Trade Unions, said: "Our prediction is that if it is allowed to develop, the use of artificial intelligence to manage workers will lead to their work becoming more and more lonely and isolated, thus losing the fun of interpersonal relationships."
(2) Employee unemployment
The replacement of human beings by artificial intelligence systems is widely considered to be the main obstacle to the adoption of artificial intelligence, which may lead to a large number of layoffs.
Although this doom and pessimism make people worried, Gartner predicts that AI will create more jobs. In a research report released in 2017, analysts of the company said that it is expected that artificial intelligence will create 2.3 million jobs and cut 1.8 million jobs by 2020.
Svetlana Sicular, vice president of research at Gartner, said: "Many major innovations in the past are related to the transition period of temporary unemployment, followed by the recovery of the number of jobs, so business transformation and AI may follow this path. Unfortunately, most catastrophic warnings about unemployment confuse AI with automation technology, which masks the greatest benefit of AI - AI enhancement, which is a combination of human intelligence and AI They complement each other. "
A survey report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018 pointed out that AI will create as many jobs as it will eliminate. The non-governmental organization World Economic Forum (WEF) reiterated this statement again in October 2020. The organization said in its "Future Employment Report" that although the COVID-19 epidemic has accelerated the automation of many repetitive and dangerous tasks, artificial intelligence will actually bring long-term employment growth. By 2025, it is estimated that 85 million jobs will be replaced globally, and 97 million new jobs will be created in 26 countries.
The World Economic Forum also predicted that in the next four years, half of the unemployed workers will need some skills upgrading or retraining to prepare for new jobs. One of the skill areas worth developing for the future development based on AI is data, but soft skills should not be ignored. John Whittingdale OBE, Minister of Media and Data, described soft skills as very important skills. He added, "Without soft skills, data may be misread or misunderstood, which may have a significant impact on enterprises and their decisions."
(3) Human error
Although AI can actually eliminate human errors from the process, it still exists in the code and will be biased. The coding based on algorithms of AI technology will have a negative impact on some demographic data.
It is worrisome that without 100% security, hackers can take advantage of AI's desire for knowledge. For example, Microsoft's chat robot, Tay Tweets, had to be taken off the shelf 16 hours after its launch because it began to post racist and inflammatory content on Twitter that was the same as other Twitter users.
Use AI responsibly
When it comes to AI, there are many positive points. Of course, just like any new technology with subversive capabilities, individuals and organizations must also pay attention to the traps.
But being aware of the disadvantages does not mean turning a blind eye to the benefits. In fact, policymakers have been warned not to do so, otherwise they may lose the benefits provided.
Whit Andrews, vice president of Gartner, said: "Look at how AI technology is used in today's business moments of critical interaction with customers, and consider how to add value. Due to the scope and popularity of AI projects, misconceptions about their value, the nature of the data they are exposed to, and cultural issues, AI projects face some unique obstacles. To overcome these obstacles, CIOs should set realistic expectations, identify appropriate use cases, and create Build a new organizational structure. "
Gartner suggests that business and IT leaders of enterprises should carefully consider and weigh opportunities and risks. The company warns that focusing too much on automation without taking the overall picture will only cover up the broader benefits.
Max Tegmark, a physics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and director of the Institute for Future Life Research, said, "Everything we love about civilization is the product of wisdom. As long as we try to benefit technology and expand human intelligence with artificial intelligence technology, it is possible to help the prosperity and development of civilization."
Enterprises can also use the risk assessment toolkit launched by the Office of the United Kingdom Information Commissioner (ICO) to check whether their use of AI systems violates data protection laws. The AI and Data Protection Risk Assessment Toolkit (beta) draws on previous AI guidelines issued by regulators and other publications provided by the Allen Turing Institute. It contains risk statements that enterprises can use when processing personal data to understand the possible impact on individual rights. Based on the audit framework developed by the Internal Assurance and Investigation Team of the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO), the toolkit also provides recommendations on best practices that enterprises can use to manage and reduce risks.
