Until recently, composing music, creating artwork, diagnosing diseases and driving cars were feats exclusively mastered by humans.
Recent breakthroughs have introduced a new wave of computer systems which are able to recognise patterns in large amounts of data, allowing them to replicate and even surpass ‘human’ skills across several domains.
One example of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool boasting an impressive array of such capabilities is ChatGPT. It excels in tasks ranging from holding a conversation to crafting essays, poems, recipes or even articles like this one.
Launched by California-based OpenAI in November 2022, the chatbot quickly amassed widespread media attention for its remarkable ability to generate diverse creative content and coherently answer complex queries about virtually any topic in a matter of seconds.
Earlier last year, the same lab unveiled DALL-E 2, an AI model capable of producing realistic images and striking artwork from nothing more than a short text description.
In recent years, online services making use of AI have filtered into daily life, often without the knowledge of the consumers benefitting from it. From targeted social media adverts to personalised music and film recommendations on Spotify and Netflix, algorithms are already transforming our online experiences.
Artificial intelligence, a discipline dedicated to the study of machines carrying out tasks that typically require human cognition and perception, is rapidly driving significant developments in science and technology.
In the healthcare domain, deep learning techniques have been utilised to rapidly accelerate vaccine and drug development and detect malignant tumours more readily and accurately than experienced radiologists. By stimulating innovation across all industries, AI will enhance the lives of many and aid to address humanity’s greatest problems.
However, many are concerned by the rise of algorithms exceeding human intelligence, with noteworthy figures such as the late Stephen Hawking ranking malevolent AI as one of the world’s forefront issues within the next decades.
Legislation must aid businesses to reskill their workers, working alongside AI rather than competing with it- Mikea Dimech
Yet the public remains worryingly unaware of the more tangible and equally alarming risks of this technology on society and the economy in the immediate future.
The automation of jobs as a result of innovation and advances in technology is by no means new; ever since the introduction of the steam engine in the first industrial revolution, humanity has endured countless shifts in work roles over the course of centuries. While automation has traditionally displaced repetitive, mundane jobs, AI places even professional occupations under threat.
AI will precipitate a major transformation in work, leading to a new division of labour between humans, algorithms and machines. Many will be forced to pivot to industries demanding different skill sets and swiftly adapt to new roles.
Job requirements will evolve, with business leaders favouring the ability to learn new skills as the most crucial trait in prospective employees.
With a marked skill gap inevitably surfacing, this shift poses a severe risk of high rates of unemployment in demographics with lower levels of education.
Ensuring that quality education is accessible in every corner of the globe will be crucial in a world where routine tasks are automated, and humans work alongside algorithms.
Another concerning pitfall is algorithmic bias, in which AI favours particular categories over others on account of real-world prejudices reflected in the data used to develop it.
For example, in 2018 online retailer Amazon was compelled to halt the usage of an algorithm developed to automatically judge the CVs of job applicants. As the system was trained on historical data exhibiting examples where male candidates where preferred, an apparent gender bias skewed the algorithm’s decision-making.
As AI applications emerge in more critical and sensitive areas such as healthcare and the judicial system, these problems may only become more elusive. If ethical and transparent principles are not adopted by engineers and policymakers, AI has the potential to further cement the world’s prejudices and inequalities in novel and unexpected ways to the detriment of underrepresented groups.
Modernising education will be an undeniably crucial step, both for those entering and currently in the workforce. In particular, education at every level must focus on adaptability, problem-solving, critical thinking and active learning rather than the dissemination and regurgitation of information.
Legislation must aid businesses to reskill their workers, working alongside AI rather than competing with it. With proactive efforts, and a focus on augmentation rather than automation, AI can improve the lives of workers and ensure global prosperity.
Mikea Dimech is currently reading for a master’s degree in artificial intelligence at the University of St Andrews, the UK.