Artificial Intelligence, a.k.a. AI. It is defined as using computational systems to perform tasks usually done by people- e.g. learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision making. It has been shown in the fictional world, such as the Terminator Saga, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Brainiac from D.C. Comics, and KITT from Knight Rider.
AI has been used for various tasks for decades, but in recent years there has been an increase in its use, almost as if it was rushed into use. It also seems as though the Biden Administration just dumped it on society without a second thought- maybe some AI program influenced Biden’s decision to do so by means of hacking his autopen.
There are various issues regarding AI, which are as follows:
- Has society rushed into using AI without examining its pros and cons?
- Is AI going to be used for every decision-making process (especially in the field of technology)?
- AI can be used for bad just as being used for good, e.g. criminals, terrorists, unfriendly nations.
- In the case of unfriendly nations using AI, there appears to be a race to use it, just like the Space Race during the Kennedy Administration, despite the fact the Soviets had little interest in space.
In the movie Jurassic Park, Dr. Ian Malcolm (portrayed by Jeff Goldblum) questions the ethics of cloning being used to recreate dinosaurs. Then in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, he says the following:
“How many times do you have to see the evidence? How many times must the point be made? We’re causing our own extinction. Too many red lines have been crossed. And our home has, in fundamental ways, been polluted by avarice and political megalomania. Genetic power has now been unleashed and of course, that’s going to be catastrophic. This change was inevitable from the moment we brought the first dinosaur back from extinction. We convince ourselves that sudden change is something that happens outside the normal order of things, like a car crash, or that it’s beyond our control, like a fatal illness. We don’t conceive of sudden, radical, irrational change as woven into the very fabric of existence. Yet, I can assure you, it most assuredly is. And it’s happening now. Humans and dinosaurs are now going be force to coexist. These creatures were here before us. And if we’re not careful, they’re going be here after. We’re gonna have to adjust to new threat that we can’t imagine. We’ve entered a new era. Welcome to Jurassic World.”
Can the same be said about AI? Has society rushed into using it without examining what might go wrong in its use, not to mention the morals and ethics involved?
I have watched a few documentaries on Frankenstein, and they discussed how Mary Shelley’s novel was seen as a warning regarding scientific experimentation. Genetic engineering was mentioned, as was the nuclear age. And of course, AI was mentioned in a recent documentary on Frankenstein shown on the National Geographic Channel.
Thus, we should exercise caution when it comes to using AI.
