Artificial intelligence has been around for some time.
Back in the 1980’s chess computers used a form of artificial intelligence to comfortably beat many of their human opponents. We thought that was clever, and outside of science, paid it little attention. Thinking robots belonged in science fiction films and kids toys.
But it seems, that as we evolve faster towards the realisation that many human jobs will be taken by intelligent robots – panic is starting to set in.
For us – technology, including artificial intelligence, really is a great leveller.
Today you can create things with a smart phone that just ten years ago you needed the power of a huge corporation behind you to achieve. Technology has democratised the world more than anything else before it – granting access to the world for millions of previously disempowered people.
Artificial intelligence is the further evolution of that doorway. It promises to be yet another radical leap forward for humankind and perhaps a shift towards a new reality that many postmodern philosophers have been theorising for decades.
But, as with many things, there is no absolute in life. It’s unlikely that artificial intelligence will create an ‘us and them’ scenario like you would have seen in sci-fi films like The Terminator. AI is a tool which most likely will be used in combination with humans to exponentially increase productivity and effectiveness.
This 2014 TED talk by the futurist Ray Kurzwell – gives an indication as to what could possibly be the reality of ‘hybrid thinking’ in the decades to come.
The subject of the future of artificial intelligence is a very broad and exciting one. We haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg with what the possibilities are with it. But one thing is sure, it’s on its way. It will also bring with it a whole new world of opportunities and possibilities for the human race and certainly, is not something to fear.
If you are worried that your job is going to disappear, the reality is that jobs already right now are pointless and pretty much dead. There will be no jobs – get used to that idea. Instead there will be millions of ways that people can make a meaningful contribution to the world in the future all pretty much thanks to artificial intelligence.
More: Africa’s future lies in code – Cherryflava