“Success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization. But it could also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.”
– Stephen Hawking
Throughout history, humanity has witnessed the effects of several technological revolutions. These periods of rapid innovation forever altered the way we live and work, and in every case, they have had far-reaching benefits and drawbacks.
The first Industrial Revolution of the late 1700s brought machine manufacturing and the rise of factories. The second Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s brought instant telegraph communications, cross-country railroads, and widespread natural gas, water, and sewage systems. The third Industrial Revolution of the late 20th century, also known as the Digital Revolution, gave us home computers, the Internet, and smartphones. Many scientists and sociologists have stated that we may be on the verge of another technological revolution brought about primarily by the advancement of artificial intelligence.
You may have already heard discussions about this so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Controversial figure Klaus Schwab, the executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), popularized this term in 2015. He described it as “a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.” Since then, Schwab has stated that “the final priority of a Great Reset agenda is to harness the innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to support the public good.” Regardless of your feelings about that statement, the message is clear: rapid development of artificial intelligence is a top priority for many of the most powerful industrial and political entities around the world. It’s seen as the next major frontier of human advancement.
Many of us are skeptical about bleeding-edge technology and the consequences of a new Industrial Revolution, and rightly so — at least to some extent. Despite their many benefits, the previous three Revolutions contributed to overcrowded cities, global pollution, longer work hours, less active and healthy lifestyles, and invasive, always-connected technology we can’t avoid. So, will AI bring about a brighter future for all of us, or is it the gateway to a Terminator-style rise of the machines?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how artificial intelligence technology affects our daily lives, as well as the benefits and drawbacks you need to be prepared for. Our goal is not to convince you that AI is good, evil, or anything in between. That’s a judgment only you can make. But make no mistake, the genie is out of the bottle, and this technology is rapidly accelerating whether you like it or not.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Before we look at what AI can do, we must understand what it is, and that’s a source of many misconceptions. AI is not just about creating sentient, self-aware machines, although that might (emphasis on might) be a long-term byproduct of its development. According to IBM:
At its simplest form, artificial intelligence is a field which combines computer science and robust datasets to enable problem-solving. It also encompasses sub-fields of machine learning and deep learning.
Machine learning is AI that can adapt automatically to solve varying problems with little human interference. Basic machine learning has been in development since the days of punch-card computing in the
