Artificial Intelligence: Why We Should Be Wary

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Are you curious about Artificial Intelligence (AI) but feel overwhelmed by the technical jargon and complexities often associated with it? You’re not alone as even seasoned computer users are a bit overwhelmed with this new buzz word.

Is AI really on the verge of causing mass unemployments worldwide? Will AI also disrupt social relationships? What will our future be like if people prefer to spend time with their AI companions? This notion is not so far fetched if you take into account how we are already so attached to our smartphones.

Back in the early millennium, the Web opened up our world and provided so many conveniences to the people. Innovations such as social networking and e-commerce revolutionized the way we communicate, do business and buy merchandise across international borders. People around the world seem to had welcomed the Internet back then with open arms.

In contrast, the rapid advent of artificial intelligence seems to be causing fear and anxiety. Workers across industries believe that chatbots and other AI-powered machines will cause their jobs to be made redundant.

We cannot ascertain yet how AI will truly impact the future, but we can seek to understand its capabilities. So, in this beginner friendly guide, we’ll unravel some of the mysteries of artificial intelligence. Let’s see what AI can do in real-world applications and we will try to explain everything in simple, easy-to-understand terms.


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What is Artificial Intelligence?

At its core, artificial intelligence is like having a computer that can think and learn just like humans do. Imagine having a digital assistant that can understand your questions, learn from experience, and even make decisions on its own. That’s the essence of AI.

Despite the negative sentiment surrounding AI, we still do hear of some positive aspects from the technology. For instance, some people have reported that they like having an AI friend or companion around whenever they feel lonely. Just take Replika as an example. Based on the large volume of postings on the Discord channel, these AI-powered social companions do intrigue people with their very human-like responses.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Work?

AI basically gets its power from data fed into its system. It analyzes large amounts of data and any patterns within the dataset is then used to make decisions or predictions. This is the gist of what we call Machine Learning. It’s like teaching a computer to recognize shapes, understand languages, or even drive a car. To train an AI machine, we need to show it lots of real-world examples and letting it learn from them.

This is a more advanced technology that was not prevalent in the early phases of the digital era. For many years, algorithms that are programmed into websites or apps are only capable of reading, analyzing and processing data.

In other words, the early days computers can only do what the software developers program into it. Now, the smart machines and software that we use daily are capable of thinking on its own! At this point of time, we can only guess how this technology can truly affect mankind in the future.

Real-World Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already all around us, often in ways we might not even realize:

  • Smart Assistants:
    You’ve probably heard of Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant even if you do use them. These are AI-powered assistants can answer all sorts of questions and control smart home devices.
  • Recommendation Systems:
    Ever noticed how Netflix suggests shows or movies you might like? That’s AI in action, analyzing your viewing habits to make personalized recommendations.
  • Self-Driving Cars:
    Companies like Tesla are developing cars that can drive themselves. The vehicles use AI algorithms to interpret their surroundings and make autonomous driving decisions.
  • Medical Diagnosis:
    AI is helping doctors diagnose diseases more accurately by analyzing medical images like X-rays and MRIs.
  • Language Translation:
    Services like Google Translate use AI to translate text from one language to another. The technology certainly makes communication across languages much easier.

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