Every five years for the past few decades, a technology emerges as the one to invest heavily in. Big data and the cloud, which have seen tremendous success in recent years, are striking examples. Today, artificial intelligence is at the heart of the debates and raises many questions. Fiction for some, reality for others, AI continues to divide a significant portion of public opinion, despite its undeniable advantages. Let’s take a closer look!
Artificial intelligence: two opposed understandings?
Many specialists in the field agree: rarely has a term evoked so many different thoughts among the public. Indeed, when artificial intelligence is discussed, two distinct groups emerge, talking about two completely different things. What are they?
On one side, we find the proponents of science: researchers, developers and engineers, who work on several disciplines grouped in the common category of AI. These include computer vision, machine learning, knowledge representation, planning, and speech synthesis.
From machine translation to GPS navigation applications, and including facial recognition, the aforementioned disciplines, grouped under the term artificial intelligence, are found in various everyday products, in different sectors of activity.
On the other side are fans of science fiction and related fields, who see this intelligence as a machine endowed with consciousness and reasoning abilities close to those of human beings. For them, a sufficiently complex computer could become truly autonomous.
Some take this line of thinking much further, suggesting that given the rapid increase in computing power, if a machine with consciousness existed, it would be possible to enhance its artificial intelligence to the point of making it extraordinarily superior to human intelligence. Films like “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Matrix,” and “Terminator” clearly illustrate this line of thinking and reinforce the theory that AI is merely science fiction.
Are there possibilities for reconciliation?
Although they are opposed and seem impossible to reconcile, these two conceptions can certainly coexist as long as they remain within their respective spheres, at least in theory. However, in practice, the coexistence of these two understandings of artificial intelligence creates considerable confusion among the general public, one being concrete and grounded in reality, and the other purely fictional and speculative.
The confusion itself stems from the idea that the AI ​​sector, as it exists today, could evolve in the not-too-distant future to resemble the intelligences depicted in many video games and films. Adding to this general confusion are fears and uncertainties, feelings experienced by both ordinary individuals and leading experts in the field.
It must be said that beyond all the positive and revolutionary aspects of artificial intelligence, there are still serious points to monitor regarding the development of the different disciplines that this concept encompasses in the real world.
Are these concerns generally well-founded?
Among other things, it is logical to be concerned about the economic impact that the increasing and possibly sudden automation of a large number of jobs could have. One of the direct implications will be the outright elimination of several professions (office workers or factory workers, bus drivers, radiology technicians, etc.).
Consequently, the development of artificial intelligence could lead to a significant increase in unemployment rates worldwide, with a long-term decline in living standards and conditions. Another concern raised by experts in the field is the risk of unintentional bias within automated systems, which could disadvantage certain segments of the population. And this is without even mentioning the possibility of automated manipulation of large datasets to influence public opinion!
Furthermore, it’s important to remember that the hysteria surrounding artificial intelligence, which some have dubbed “evil superintelligence,” is an unwelcome distraction that obscures other issues. And to say the least, companies and the media, in their frantic pursuit of buzz and notoriety, aren’t doing much to improve the situation.
News outlets and private companies specializing in the sale of cutting-edge technology are indeed playing on the confusion between real-world machine learning algorithms and the humanoid robots of science fiction.
