AGE OF AI

AGE OF AI

Artificial intelligence is constantly growing and adapting to modern changes. The scary reality is, it has been with us or amongst us for long enough to know everything about us. AI is used in almost everything nowadays whether it is search engines, social media platforms, or even just regular websites. It is said that AI is primarily used for data analytics, predictions and forecasting, recommendations, and intelligent data retrieval. These things happen naturally and quickly, all without us noticing.

I want to discuss some major concepts that were discussed in the documentary. To begin, the possibility of AI taking over jobs is a concern that was feared by many, and still is. Since this technology is rapidly advancing, it is possible it becomes smart enough to do jobs for people. This could leave people very vulnerable and jobless, which in this society... simply won't cut it. It is possible that we need to "reskill" employees in order to keep up with these advancement in technology. It could be crucial for workers to provide skills the AI will never be able to catch up with, and as stated in the documentary human intuition will always be ahead. So while there is concern for jobs, I believe there is some hope in the sense where AI will likely never reach the same level of intuition and adaptability. It's important to look at how we can work with the AI but not have the AI work for us, at least if we don't want to risk it taking over completely.

Surveillance capitalism was also a large topic that was discussed in this documentary. This was discussed as the process of collecting and using personal data to make predictions and even modify one's behavior. The truly terrifying issue here, why are we allowing for technology to not only use our data but try to "modify" our behavior. We see this a lot with advertising, simply because AI can see what we are googling and interacting with on social media. It uses that information to funnel out ads it thinks we will like. When this was being discussed, I immediately thought about how every time I am talking about something... or even thinking about something, it seems that I will see a video or an advertisement about it. I really get freaked out about it when it's just in my thoughts and then five minutes later on my screen. Apparently there is a name for the trail we leave when we click on ads or searches being made, "digital exhaust." This just goes to show we need to be finding a better way to have more privacy when it comes to what we are using our phones or computers to do. AI shouldn't be able to access out personal data for its personal growth. The video discussed progress in the regulation of privacy, but as AI goes in strength, the efforts need to grow as well. 

Artificial Intelligence has a lot of pros because at the end of the day, it can be very beneficial in retrieving information quickly and efficiently. I do think it has a lot of work to do in terms of progress. We shouldn't fear technology and what it can do to society, instead we should be excited about what it can do for us. However, I don't think that will be fully achieved until we feel safer regarding our privacy and digital footprint.