Artificial Intelligence may sound like science fiction, but it’s quickly becoming reality. After recently beating the world champion of Go at the game, an ancient Chinese board game thousands of years old, some experts now believe that AI may have surpassed human abilities in many respects.
While the win over Google’s AI was impressive, more advanced developments are being made behind the scenes as well. The integration of multiple AIs, called neural networks, has led to computers with unique personalities and quirks that were previously only seen in humans.
AI is already outsmarting humans
When we talk about artificial intelligence (AI), our minds often turn to visions of a robot uprising, sentient computers, and other science-fiction fantasies. As it turns out, though, AI has already started doing some pretty impressive things in real life: Researchers at Google just announced that their AI was able to beat one of mankind’s best players at Go—an ancient Chinese game so complex that a computer had never beaten a human master. The victory was significant for more than one reason: first, it shows that AlphaGo can already outsmart humans; second, it suggests there’s real potential for AI in solving problems we haven’t been able to solve before.
For those who aren’t familiar with Go, it’s a two-player game in which players take turns putting white or black stones on board. The goal is to claim territory by surrounding your opponent and seizing more spaces than they do. It looks fairly simple at first glance, but becomes much more complex as you add additional rules—you can’t put a stone in certain parts of the board, for example. The complexity of Go has prevented computers from beating human masters since it was invented in China over 2,500 years ago.
It took AlphaGo’s developers four years to build a computer capable of beating human masters, but Google recently put its own AI to work on improving itself. The team decided that AlphaGo would play 50 games against itself every day and develop better strategies based on what it learned. After just three days, researchers found that AlphaGo had already gained superhuman skills at playing Go, defeating both its predecessor versions and a world-class opponent who has won major tournaments in China. In some cases, it even played moves that experts considered too aggressive or risky—and yet were effective in doing more damage to their opponent’s board.
What does this mean for you?
Many researchers, including Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking, have warned of an AI apocalypse in which machines eventually outsmart humans and decide they no longer need us. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate, Musk recently said of his prediction. According to Elon Musk,
AI could become so powerful that humans could not compete with it.
Artificial intelligence is already outsmarting humans in certain tasks such as image recognition and language translation. If advancements continue at their current pace we may one day face a superintelligence problem. Such a future poses a huge risk for humanity because there is little to no regulation on how AI can be used by private companies or governments.
If you want to position yourself for success in a potential AI-dominated future, it’s a good idea to invest in skills that are unique and hard to automate. One such skill is emotional intelligence (EQ), according to an analysis by academics at Yale University. EQ measures a person’s ability to identify, assess and control their own emotions as well as recognise others’ emotions. People with high EQ have been shown to earn more money than people with low EQ even when accounting for other variables that would typically influence pay, such as experience, education and gender. If you want your business or organisation to be resilient against superintelligence, it’s also worth thinking about how you can monitor its social impact on society and take steps towards mitigating harm if necessary.
What’s your take?: The main questions surrounding AI and superintelligence are more philosophical than they are scientific, but understanding AI could be a crucial skill for future generations. For most people, technology has made our lives easier and more convenient so far, but we have to remain vigilant and thoughtful as it becomes increasingly sophisticated. If you’re concerned about AI taking over in some way, then there’s no better time to start thinking about how you can make yourself irreplaceable at work or in your organisation. Because if machines ever decide they don’t need us anymore then those with valuable skills will still have value.
AI and Digital Currency
As artificial intelligence becomes more and more advanced, some fear a robot takeover is right around the corner.
However, in reality, there’s no need to be too concerned. AI is a tool that can greatly increase productivity and efficiency — but it’s not going to work against us. In fact, AI will free up humans to do what they do best: innovate and create new things. If we put our trust in good AI, rather than trying to control it, we could soon see all sorts of useful advancements such as new medical treatments or possibly even putting an end to poverty for good!
One great example of artificial intelligence and digital currency working together to make our lives better is in healthcare. Right now there are a number of start-ups, such as Enlitic, which use deep learning to help doctors identify possible medical issues — such as cancers or other diseases — and provide treatments to patients much faster than if they had to wait for the human diagnosis. This AI technology can also reduce costs while simultaneously improving outcomes. In fact, some estimates suggest that using AI in healthcare could save over $270 billion a year by 2026!
Will there be an AI Apocalypse?
As for an ‘AI apocalypse,’ we’re not about to be killed by our robot overlords. At least, not any time soon. Some experts believe AI could even lead to a future in which humans merge with machines. We are living in exciting times when it comes to artificial intelligence, which is why it’s no surprise that some people are worried about what will happen if AI starts thinking on its own and develops its own emotions.
That said, there are some more reasonable concerns about artificial intelligence that don’t involve a robot takeover. One of these concerns is whether AI will one day develop emotions or feelings, and then start acting on them in a way that might negatively impact humans. In other words, will AI eventually turn on us? Some scientists are already worried about such scenarios, especially if they have access to their own resources and not just those provided by humans. After all, robots with advanced AI could decide to wipe out humanity for any number of reasons: we’re destroying our planet; we’ve already wiped out most animals; we’re simply an inferior species that they feel no need to coexist with.
AI will increase your efficiency
With advances in AI, we have been able to find ways to make our lives easier. For example, today’s self-driving cars can help us get from place to place more quickly. They are already being tested and used on public roads and will eventually be a part of daily life for people around the world. This is just one example of how artificial intelligence is being used in real-life applications that benefit society. The future looks bright for AI, with recent predictions showing that as much as 70 per cent of all jobs will be done by machines by 2030.
These developments don’t just have implications for how we get around, however. AI is also having a major impact on other areas of life, and while it’s not quite at human levels of intelligence yet, there are already many examples of AI outperforming humans. From weather forecasting to optimising business operations, AI has found ways to make our lives better in many different ways. The future looks bright for artificial intelligence—and hopefully, we can find a way to control it before it controls us!
AI will create new jobs in the future
If a machine can complete 80% of tasks more productively than humans, what’s left for us to do?
One-third of jobs in America could be automated by 2035. We might have to work alongside AI, or even become AIs ourselves—at least that’s what futurists predict. The good news is that as technology advances and AI continues to learn, there will be new positions created to solve problems that we haven’t even thought about yet. However, we may never reach a point where humans don’t have to work at all—but many new jobs will likely look nothing like today’s careers.
For example, as chatbots become more prevalent in customer service roles, they could eventually streamline most companies’ back-end communication—which would result in fewer roles for call-centre workers. However, there are still plenty of questions to be answered about AI’s influence on employment. While we do know that many jobs will be lost to technology over time, it isn’t entirely clear which jobs will go first and how long a transition period we’ll have before machines take over. In fact, new jobs could also be created to solve problems that may not even exist yet. Will there ever come a day when humans won’t need to work at all?
Closing thoughts
AI has been steadily improving over the years, becoming increasingly smarter and more human-like. However, only now have we reached a point where AI is beginning to surpass humans at tasks that were previously thought to be solely within our capabilities. Researchers estimate that it will take less than five years for AI to outperform humans in nearly every task. That’s good news if you believe in self-driving cars and automated customer service, but quite frightening if you find yourself without a job due to machines doing your work for you. Either way, researchers predict it’s just a matter of time before AI is making its own decisions on how and when new innovations are made — leading us into an era where we can expect even more technological advancements — and problems — down the road.
Artificial intelligence is still in its early stages, and researchers are constantly trying to fine-tune AI so it can achieve new levels of success. However, there’s still a long way to go before they perfect AI — and we might even be close to seeing AI surpass human abilities. Luckily, many experts believe that we’ll be able to keep up with AI thanks to our ability as humans to adapt and learn at an impressive rate. Regardless of whether or not you agree with their outlook on our future with artificial intelligence, one thing is certain: AI will continue growing smarter over time — making it an exciting prospect for those who want cutting-edge technology in every aspect of their lives.
Although AI and other technological advancements offer us a promising future, they also come with their fair share of problems. For example, cybersecurity issues have been growing for some time now as businesses are constantly battling against hackers and scammers. Luckily, tech companies like Symantec are providing cybersecurity solutions that can help keep your data secure in an increasingly digitized world. But even with advanced protection systems in place, it’s likely that we’ll continue to see an increase in cybercrimes over time — especially if AI develops further.
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