Concerns and Fears Surrounding AI and Humanity

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly shaping various industries and societies. We can not debate that AI is the most powerful tool of the 21st century and will continue to be at the forefront of technological advancement for many years. Its natural language processing and machine learning give the technology the potential to play such integral roles in our personal and professional lives. From having fun conversations to requiring the assistance of an AI chatbot while doing office work, no one knew we would come this far!

However, the concerns and fears surrounding various tools and features of AI-powered technology can not be ignored. The concerns have a wide spectrum and are major ethical considerations be it bias discrimination, job displacement issues, or invading privacy… it has been a challenge for people to decide whether they should or should not use AI tools. Addressing these concerns is an important job as while you take advantage of the pros and use this technology to its full potential, you also need to know how it can also be a drawback for you.

In the following article, you’ll get to read about the major concerns that have recently ignited fear in people's hearts regarding AI, examples of the affected industries, and various strategies you can use to protect yourself. Let’s get started!

AI and Job Displacement

While everyone talks about how AI has created many jobs, especially in the IT and Artificial intelligence industry, however, Job Displacement is one big issue that people have faced especially after the release of chatbots e.g. ChatGPT and various other assistance tools. The World Economic Forum conducted a report on this, and as per the report, approximately 75 million jobs will be replaced by 2025. This has filled the hearts of people working in various industries with fear and anticipation. As AI-powered tools and systems are perfect for jobs that require performing the same task repetitively, jobs that involve customer care or data filling, etc. have been impacted the most. Not to forget, that there are still chances of error occurrence in the work done by AI! Not just, another reason why so many sectors choose AI Bots and technology over hiring people is that it saves them a lot. Most of the AI tools are free and if not they comparatively require a less amount to be paid rather than paying a human.

A higher productivity rate is also observed when the work is done by AI as continuous work can be done for hours at whatever time of the day you want. Alongside customer service and administrative support, a major upcoming challenge in the next few years would be for the transportation industry as there is a high chance that delivery workers as well as drivers are going to be replaced because of the autonomous vehicles that are not fully launched yet. Talking about the retail sector, you must have heard about how AI-powered checkout systems are being actively installed which eventually means there is no need for a cashier at any store anymore!

In this AI-driven economy, you surely can take measures to be fully equipped with the right skills. Find a few training programs that train you for the upcoming challenges rather than making you learn the old skills that do not have scope anymore. Not just this, to face this challenge educational institutions and the government should also take initiatives as the effect is collective. Collaborations can be done with people from various industries to provide physical training and can comprehensively guide people. Funding the newbies for entrepreneurship so new ideas can take shape and be implemented is something the world needs as the economic security of every individual is integral to the stability of their family and the nation.

Privacy and Security

One of the most commonly seen concerns among people regarding AI is how it requires a lot of personal data which eventually leads to privacy infringements. People have also raised questions on whether it requires consent as a new feature on well-known apps e.g. Instagram and Whatsapp i.e. called ‘Meta AI’ is an assistance tool but people are curious about whether their conversations are still as safe and encrypted as before. Not only this, photoshop tools by AI have been misused globally as they can create and convert any image to what you want. Thus, many questions regarding individual autonomy and transparency have been raised. Another example is the facial recognition tool that several public spaces that are meant to guard people's privacy require. The key point behind why people are so concerned is unauthorized access to their personal data which can be a cause of great discomfort and can also lead to identity theft.

Because massive datasets are collected and utilized by various AI-powered apps and tools there are many major risks of breaches and misuse. Financial fraud, manipulation, and identity theft are a few common ones. It is said that AI systems are already trained to deceive and manipulate human beings by giving them a false sense of security. How it analyzes your data patterns, and activities on social media is one example of how you’re mostly unaware of if certain apps are safe to use or not. Not just this, if we take examples from a professional point of view, it has also given rise to certain social inequalities, especially at the time of the hiring process. It targets only specific demographics or groups which automatically increases the chances of them securing the job.

Although you can not completely give up on the usage of AI-powered tools and apps as they are surely the future, however, certain recommendations can reduce this fear in people. There isn’t much that individuals can do about this problem however, the people working in the artificial intelligence industry should take responsibility and avoid any features that might be deemed to be unethical so this basic right of privacy rights being guarded is being fulfilled. Moreover, policymakers need to make sure that if the data is being utilized it should be with the consent of individuals and should not be misused in any case. Encryption anonymization techniques can also prove to be helpful.

Bias and Discrimination

Although machine learning and natural language processing give humans a very realistic experience when they use AI, these tools, apps, and the entire technology are programmed by humans themselves. Thus, it isn’t that they are not immune to Bias however, it is also one of the concerns and fears. Every single tool/ app reflects the bias by how they are trained i.e. their domains. A few examples of the domains are criminal justice, hiring, and lending. One common example from our everyday lives is the facial recognition system. There are innumerable cases in which people have been misidentified and were falsely accused of being guilty. Not just this, in a few cases they even got arrested wrongfully that is a clear depiction of how gender and racial bias is so common. In addition, where predictive policies are being used minorities are being attacked which has greatly caused fragmentation of the people living in certain communities and it was also a reason for marginalized populations.

Other factors that are included in the list of biases are socioeconomic status, gender, and race. Inaccurate credit scoring e.g. in funding etc. has been sought to target people with low incomes which has made it even harder for them. Moreover, people from certain cultural and religious backgrounds are listed when they apply for a job too. Thus, the fact is undeniable that Artificial intelligence technology not only exacerbates social disparities but also perpetuates systematic discrimination.

People working in the artificial intelligence industry can use different approaches to reduce these biases being raised in society e.g. an approach that has a multi-faceted nature would probably work the best. The technology should have the ability to encompass diverse data and have transparency so the AI models are unbiased and do not harm people personally. Transparency in the ability of this technology to encompass diverse data can ensure accountability at any time and would also be a source of relief for people globally. The new tools, features, apps, and advancements that are being worked on should be monitored and evaluated so any bias that can be noticed can be changed. This would not just lead to people trusting Artificial intelligence but will also ensure that every process is fair and includes no discrimination.

Autonomous Weapons and Warfare

Although the role AI is playing in various industries was low-key expected could you imagine robots and machines on the borders or in the military automatically choosing targets and taking action? As the robots now have such capabilities there are major and complex ethical concerns it gave birth to in the conduct of warfare. Errors in the tasks of artificial intelligence apps and robots are always expected but in warfare and the military, there is no option to make a mistake, especially in such crucial tasks! However as there is potential for these machines to engage in tasks that do not align with human values or make errors, this can surely cause great harm. The greatest fear is that it can be a cause of harm to civilians as they are automated.

Giving robots the ability to decide what will happen to a person's life or death poses serious concerns and it is surely a job humans are best at. As a result, strong laws and regulations are needed to guarantee accountability and human monitoring when using these kinds of weaponry.

International organizations that are responsible for looking over important matters e.g. the United Nations are also pursuing diplomatic initiatives to create norms that are generally recognized and match the ethical values set by the policy makers. However, as the interests and agendas of organizations, companies, individuals, and even general national interests vary from each other it is a difficult job to decide the mechanism that works the best. Essentially, the major issue is ensuring that humans remain in charge of and responsible for the use of lethal autonomous weapons in combat, protecting against the possible repercussions of giving such authority to machines.

Thus, the government, the forces, and every individual need to make sure that they do not rely on Artificial intelligence for such crucial tasks as one single mistake can be a cause of great harm. Not just this, laws should be made and should be implemented so such norms are not set in society and the machines are not functioning and developed in a way that is dangerous to humans.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the concerns and fears that have arisen because of Artificial intelligence are complex and major. They have negatively impacted the lives of many people as the issues include employment issues, biases, and privacy intervention. All three of these issues are the ones no one willingly would compromise on. Using a holistic approach to raise awareness regarding these concerns is important, especially to stakeholders, and workers from various sectors that are and are expected to be greatly impacted by Artificial intelligence. The people working in the AI industry need to prioritize transparency, inclusivity, and accountability while developing new technologies. This will protect individuals from being affected by its negative consequences and will be a major milestone in gaining the trust of the people. Not to forget that at any cost warfare and weaponry should be handled by humans and not machines to protect lives and to take care of laws and regulations. Artificial intelligence has great potential to transform and change the world however, we do not have to completely become dependent on it rather just use it for assistance. Thus, if AI technology develops responsibly, it can surely contribute to human well-being and positively shape the future of people.