Artificial Intelligence: The promises and the threats

Computers and robots are now learning to make decisions! Of course, “deciding” is a big word for machines that have no consciousness and whose level of “reasoning” is not even as evolved as that of a frog. But the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are enough to frighten some and to arouse the fantasies of others.

Between myth and reality, where exactly does the current research stand in this technology that threatens to disrupt all others? In its Wide Angle section, the Courier attempts to untangle the various paths of inquiry and offers some terminological signposts to help uninitiated readers to find their way through the fascinating but scary world of AI.

For many, the word “intelligence” is only a metaphor when it is applied to machines or robots which are destined ‒ we are assured ‒ to remain simple and humble assistants to humans. AI helps us transcend language  barriers through machine translation, to perform many routine tasks, even to do the housework, manufacture goods, detect illnesses at an earlier stage than doctors can, and to create prosthetics that can be activated by a thought.

Even so, the combination of deep learning and big data is not only provoking a revolution in  AI, but also setting off a Fourth Industrial Revolution(link is external), which our societies may not quite be prepared for. Many experts believe that AI is more of a cultural revolution than a technological one, and that education will have to adapt quickly to the new realities – so that future generations learn to live in a world that is radically different from the one we know today.

The question already being raised is: isn’t there a risk that data available to AI will be used to confirm preconceived ideas and prejudices? Racial profiling, censorship, prediction of the criminal personality, etc. – these discriminatory criteria are already being used by machines that are taught to analyse patterns of behavior. The more complex the technological development becomes, the more complex are the ethical questions it raises. The development of killer robots is a striking example of this.

Alongside these ethical challenges, there is the risk of monopolization of power. While AI is only taking its first steps in Africa, a small number of countries are investing billions of dollars in basic research – which is almost entirely in the hands of a few computing giants, as we know. These international challenges call for international coordination. This is essential if AI is to be developed responsibly.