Lesson 6 Artificial Intelligence: Hope

and Fear
When a computer equipped with artificial Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), or Weak AI, is AI

intelligence (AI) beat the world Go champion in that specializes in one task. It can search for

Seoul in early 2016, the worries about AI were information, filter out unwanted emails, translate

noticeably increased. With its development taking short sentences to another language, or play Go. It

place so fast, many people are worried that robots equals or exceeds human intelligence or efficiency in

equipped with AI could soon fill positions currently its specific task, but cannot do much more than that.

held by humans, leaving many of us in desperate Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or Strong AI, is AI

circumstances. Optimists about AI's development, on that is as smart as a human in almost all areas. It will

the other hand, believe that it will greatly improve be able to reason, plan, understand complex concepts,

our quality of life by helping to cure diseases and and learn from experience. Creating AGI is much more

solve difficult problems humans are battling with, difficult because the human brain works in a very

such as meeting the world's food and energy needs. complicated way. Still, scientists are making progress in

No one can be sure of what the future may hold, this area by designing better models of machine

but one thing is certain: AI will have an enormous learning; in other words, letting AI learn for itself,

impact on life as we know it. This is why AI deserves similar to humans.

our serious attention.

Though at the same level as human intelligence,

Before we examine its possible impact on our future, AGI will have great advantages over humans. As to

we need to have a proper understanding of AI. What is its hardware, its data storage space will be able to

AI? AI is software designed to perceive information and be expanded to any size while the brain cannot get

apply it towards solving problems within a given context, bigger. As to its software, AGI will be able to be

in a similar way to how human intelligence does. There continuously upgraded through updates and fixes.

are three major types of AI based on capacity. Through a worldwide network of AGI, anything any

single computer learned would be uploaded to all

the other computers, which will make all of them

smarter simultaneously.
 AI at the last level of advancement is called Then, what future will AI bring to humanity? The

Artificial Superintelligence (ASI). It is supposed to be optimist camp pictures a bright future in which ASI

much smarter than the best human brains in almost solves quickly and efficiently almost all the problems

every field, including scientific creativity, general we have. To reduce global warming, AI could come

wisdom, and social skills. ASI could range from a up with much better ways to generate energy

computer that is a little smarter than a human to without polluting the environment. Then it could

one that is a trillion times smarter in all areas. ASI create some innovative ways to remove excess CO2

gives rise to heated debates because, if developed, it from the air. ASI could defeat fatal diseases. If a

will change our future forever by employing its person has cancer, ASI could use nanotechnology to

enormous power. design special nanobots to perform surgery and

manufacture drugs to kill the cancer cells without

As of now, we have ANI, the lowest level of AI. side effects.

Many scientists and AI experts have different

opinions about when we will have AGI. Some expect Experts in the pessimistic camp express concerns

it to be as short as ten years, while others expect it about the future that ASI may bring, including the

to be half a century. What they agree on, however, loss of jobs and in particular, ethical issues. Most

is that with the rapid developments in both hardware jobs requiring a medium level of skills and involving

and software taking place simultaneously, the doing routine activities can be replaced with ASI, or

unexpected arrival of AGI will be the likely result. even AGI, leaving a large number of people jobless.

They also acknowledge that once an AI system The resulting economic and financial instability could

reaches the level of AGI, it will not take long for it lead to serious social problems. Ethical problems

to reach the next level, that is, ASI. That is because could also arise. If a self-driving car hit a child, who

the more advanced an AI system is, the faster its would be responsible for the accident? You certainly

advancement will be. could not put the car in jail, and it would not be

easy to hold the car manufacturer responsible for the

accident. Another concern is that if ASI is placed in

the wrong hands, it could bring enormous damage

to humanity or Earth.
 AI is an immensely powerful tool and will become

much more powerful as time passes. Without a

doubt, when AI reaches the level of human

intelligence, the AGI level, in the future not far from

today, it will bring about a fundamental change in

our lives and the world will never be the same. We

do not have to panic, though. However advanced AI

may become, it is still computer software and cannot

set its own values and make judgments. It is up to

us how to make it work for the benefit of humanity.

Further Reading

Meet with the future

[21st Century Learning]
Hello. My name is Thomas Frey and I am a futurist.
Creativity: trying new approaches to get things done,
Today, I would like to talk about future jobs and
which equals innovations and invention
what you need to do to prepare for them.
Collaboration: working with another person or group
With all the revolutions in technology, our future is
to attain a goal
becoming more and more like science fiction. For
Communication: sharing thoughts, questions, ideas,
example, by 2030, we will put on perfectly fitting
and solutions
3D-printed clothes, live in a 3D-printed house, own
Critical Thinking: looking at problems from another
more than one robot, and go around in a driverless
perspective
car. These changes will mean fewer jobs in many

affected fields. In fact, I predict that about 50

Young people have to ask, what are the skills a
percent of all the jobs we know of today will
person will need to have for the future? While we
disappear.
may not know all the specific future jobs, we can

still make a list of the skills that should be valued

With machines taking over many of the occupations
highly. Workers will have to be creative, analytical,
existing today, will we run out of jobs? Not
communicative, and collaborative. A good command
necessarily. Revolutions in technology create new
of foreign languages and a deep understanding of
opportunities, just as the Industrial Revolution did in
cultural diversity will also be significant assets for job
the past. For example, while 3D-printed clothing will
seekers in the future, as the world becomes
eliminate jobs in manufacturing and retailing, more
increasingly borderless.
designers, stylists, and engineers for 3D printers will

be needed. In addition, some jobs will never be

Do not be frightened by the massive changes that
replaced by robots. If you want a job that only
you will see in the future. Rather, try to master the
humans will be able to do, consider the arts,
skills needed to address the changes. As the Nobel
professional sports, or counseling.
Physicist Max Planck said, "When you change the

way you look at things, things that you look at

change." Thank you.