Is Artificial Intelligence Going to Take Over?

Humanity is known for its obsessive nature of questioning and controlling various aspects of their surroundings. Humanity’s obsession for power and control has led to various technological developments that have allowed the human race to both control and find answers to their questions. With every piece of technology that we have developed in our history, we have witnessed both the wonders and the horrors of our creation. On one side, we have developed technologies that can enhance productivity, human health, and comfort, but on the other hand, we have also developed technologies that many might consider abominations that we use to project our power and satisfy our egos. Over the years, we have started developing this fear: what if our creations gain some sort of sentience in the near future and decide to turn against us? Many people have tried to visualize such a scenario in their fictional works, both in the form of literature and visual experience, but one creative artist managed to instill fear in the global community in 1984 with his film “The Terminator,” directed by James Cameron. From that point on, we realized that artificial intelligence was the likely culprit for our demise; at least that is what James Cameron suggested.

Fast forward to the year 2023, and the world is on edge mainly because of the post-epidemic lifestyle, new regional conflicts, and the ongoing global recession, but also because of the rapid advancements made in artificial intelligence.  Yes, the world has decided to ignore James Cameron’s prediction and has allowed AI to be part of their daily lives. I mean, sure, AI is currently helping a lot of us in various fields, such as “finance,” where AI is used for algorithmic trading; “transportation,” with the introduction of self-driving cars; “manufacturing,”, “education,” and the list goes on. We need to understand that whatever decisions we make, there are pros and cons. Our decision to allow artificial intelligence in our daily lives has helped us gain productivity and comfort in various fields, such as automating administrative tasks in the educational sector and enhancing studies by allowing AI to personalize learning experiences and provide tutoring to students. Yet there are consequences to such decisions where human factors are replaced, such as human teachers and administrators, which results in the rise of unemployment. Such decisions and their consequences are equally applicable to every field where AI is implemented.

The unrestricted usage of artificial intelligence without any intergovernmental regulations will likely result in a scenario that will backfire on us in a spectacular fashion. The idea of handing everything over to the AI without any human intervention can result in cases that might be dangerous and completely alien to us. The question of whether AI is taking over or not can only be answered by the policy we develop related to artificial intelligence. Yes, AI will play a critical role in our lives and the lives of the future generation, but whether that role will be villainous or heroic remains to be seen and can only be decided by whether we act as bystanders or take constructive actions to keep AI from adopting an antagonistic role.