A Comprehensive Primer on Artificial Intelligence: Potential and Risks of Robots

You are most probably reading this article on a smartphone or a computer. When you ask the time by just saying “what’s the time” to Siri on iPhone or to Google Assistant on Android or Cortana on Windows, you are using artificial intelligence. In the last ten years, improvements in artificial intelligence have been quite significant. But more are coming.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

If human thinking and thoughts can be introduced in a computer or computer-like devices, then it is called AI or Artificial Intelligence. If you have seen science fiction movies or read novels, then you know about that. An artificial intelligent agent is a system that can perceive its environment and by that, it can take actions for maximizing its chances of success.

Today, artificial intelligence is known as narrow AI. That means, it is designed to do narrow tasks like face recognition, internet searches, self-driving cars etcetera. But the day is not so far when Strong AI will be created to perform strong tasks like a human.

In Which Devices Can AI be Integrated?

From mobile phone to cars, artificial intelligence can be introduced in many devices. All you need is a programmable electronic device. If you have an iPhone or an Android phone, then you may have used Siri or Google Assistant to get some general tasks like knowing the time, searching on the internet, set alarm and reminders etcetera have done for you by just saying to them. Artificial Intelligence can be introduced in electronic devices or even as automatic programmes (bots) such as chatbots or any other kinds of automation.

How Artificial Intelligence is Going to Change our Lives

Technology moves at an enormous speed. We now carry more power in our pockets which we used to have in our home 10 years earlier. Artificial Intelligence has been a favorite topic of novel and movies for decades. But now, it is an important part of our technology of different dimensions. Our lives have already started to depend on this. Here are some ways Artificial Intelligence is going to change our lives.

Medical Science

Artificial Intelligence gives the computer the ability to think, learn and understand human psychology. AI can assist doctors in many ways. Artificial Intelligence can be applied to do fast and accurate diagnostics. Robot doctors will treat human. Thus, more patients can be treated well. AI will be used in surgery and surgery will be more accurate. People will be able to consult artificial intelligent doctors virtually. Co-operation of human doctors and the artificially intelligent system will affect a lot in medical science and technology.

Translation and Linguistics

Major companies like Microsoft and Skype have already introduced real-time machine translation. But Google and Apple are working on this to take this idea even further. Currently, about 100 from 7000 languages of the world can be translated into different languages. But in the future, almost all the popular languages of the world will be available with this technology. People from all over the world will be able to communicate with others with their mother tongue.

Defense

Artificial Intelligence will be applicable in defense in many ways. It can be used in border security. The artificial Intelligent system can recognize a person accurately. Thus, it can recognize any person during a border crossing. AI will be applied in International cyber defense.

AI will be able to assist a human in terms of national and international security. The artificial Intelligent robot will be made to give national security. They will act as police and military.

Automated Transportation

We have already seen self-driving cars. But for safety, still, there is need of a driver behind the wheel. Though this technology has improved much, it is not perfect yet. So, it has not been publicly accepted yet. Google started testing self-driving cars in 2012. Other companies are working on this technology.

In the future, there will be no need for human drivers for different transports like cars, buses, and trains. As a result, road accidents will not occur much.

Cyborg Technology

Researchers think that in the future, human will be able to augment themselves with computers and enhance many of their natural abilities.

Scientists and engineers believe that with this technology, people with amputated limbs will be able to communicate with robotic limbs with their brain and will be able to control them. This kind of technology will reduce the physical limitations of a human.

Taking Over Dangerous Jobs

Robots have already been introduced in a dangerous job like bomb defusing. These robots are not fully artificial intelligent. Human controls these robots from a distant place. They are like drones. Thus, they have saved thousands of human soldiers’ lives.

Others dangerous jobs like welding, finding something in a deep cave or well etcetera are get done by robots. Though human has to control these robots, in the future, these kinds of robots will be fully artificial intelligent.

Robots as friends

Today’s robots are emotionless. So, still, they cannot act as a friend. If you have seen sci-fi movies or read novels, you have seen that artificially intelligent robots act like a human. Thus, they can be human’s friend or enemy. But still, we cannot think of a robot companion.

But in 2014, a company in Japan introduced a robot called “Pepper” which can understand and feel emotions. All units (1000 units) were sold within a minute. So, it is not so hard to understand that in the future, robots will be good companions for a human.

Sports

Many multiplayer games are too complicated to apply the correct strategy to win those games. AI Is now used to design strategy in many games. AI understands the basic principles of the game and breaks down the game by a machine learning algorithm.

Thus, AI can successfully design the game plan. But in the future, AI will be able to design a game strategy of continuous sports like basketball, hockey, football etcetera.

Robots as Assistants

Robots will be acting as human’s assistants.

Cooking:

Cooking is a perfect job for AI. It basically needs to know what ingredients to add and how to add. Now, there are many programmable robots which can cook food according to your choice. But in future, AI will be introduced in robots like that robot will be able to learn to cook new foods.

Shopping:

It doesn’t work quite well. Online shopping is so popular nowadays. AI can understand your thoughts and can suggest you choose the best things. In the future, you will just tell your artificial intelligent robot to buy that for you. It will pay and bring your products to you.

Raising Pets

If you are a pet lover, then there is no need to explain this. When you go out to work, you always have to be concerned about your pets. Though AI is not so much improved yet to help you out in that case, but in future, the artificially intelligent robot will be able to help you out in that case. If something goes wrong, the robot will let you know. So, you don’t have to be worried all the time.

Risks of Artificial Intelligence

An artificial Intelligent system that is made to kill is called an autonomous weapon. If these weapons fall into the hand of the wrong person, these weapons can cause mass casualties. Again, the artificially intelligent robots can lead to a war against human existence. If you have seen movies like “I Robot” or “Wall-e”, you have seen how devastating this situation can be.

Vast use of AI will replace humans with robots in many jobs. So, the unemployment problem will be huge. Too much tendency of depending on AI will lessen the power of the body and mind.

Summing Up

There is no unmixed blessing on earth. Artificial Intelligence has its own risk. AI is a blessing for human in many ways. We are now using AI in many cases. But in the future, it will be hard to find any places where AI will not be used. Depending on AI too much will be harmful to human. So, it is wise for humans to research a lot about using Artificial Intelligence in various sectors before it is too late.