It is undeniable that over the past few decades, there has been a huge development in terms of enhancing artificial intelligence, which is believed to have positive impacts on people’s lives. While many hold the view that advances in the sphere of AI may have a favorable influence on the way human beings live, others dispute that people may not be ready for a world in which computers are much more intelligent than humans. In the following essay below I will discuss both views and give my personal opinion with related examples.
On the one hand, a significant number of people claim that magnifying cleverness of technology lies with several benefits, the initial one of which would be accuracy. It is their view that machines are able to fulfill all tasks better than humans as they are created to avoid any mistakes, particularly in fields where there is a demand for high precision, including medicine, business, and education. For instance, thanks to the robots being gradually evolved, now it is possible to carry out surgical procedures, which was not the case in the past. Another common belief about this viewpoint would be improved access, meaning that not only does AI enable individuals with language barriers to communicate effectively but also it can give availability to a variety of reliable materials, thereby simplifying people’s lives.
On the other hand, I share the concerns of people who hold the view that artificial intelligence could bring numerous detriments. In the short term, it is likely that it can give rise to an unemployment rate due to the fact that either machines or software programs would replace workers of different industries. In the medium term, should advanced technology happen to take job positions away from people, there is a high plausibility of humans becoming deskilled. For instance, administrative assistants can be replaced by virtual assistants (AI), which can automate tasks like scheduling, appointments, and answering the phones online. A longer-term fear is that if computers become wiser, in all likelihood, they may completely take over people’s lives, resulting to lose the sense of purpose in life.
To sum up, in spite of the fact that smart machines can have a positive influence on the way people live, the dire consequences of what it may lead to in the foreseeable future ought not to be overlooked as well.