From time immemorial, mankind has had controversial conversations about leaps made in science. In the 21st century, these conversations revolve around technology, specifically the use of Artificial Intelligence – AI – in the use of everyday lives. We all use ‘smart’ technology without really realizing it, but a device that can learn, adapt and maybe even think? That sparks a debate.
What debate exactly?
Polar Ends
As always, the discourse is usually dominated by the two extremes: those who fear AI and those who don’t. The nay-sayers argue that artificial intelligences like Alexa and accompanying devices like the echo dot Hong Kong hear too much, record and stream too much and learn too much when they are left inside the homes of people; big corporations can listen in and find out details about the private lives of people that they can then, in turn, sell to marketing companies. In their heads, the future is very much something out of the Terminator movies, with robots ruling earth. On the other hand we have countries like Japan who has long been fascinated with AI and robotics and produce some of the most advanced models in the world. Interestingly, this segment believes that humans and AI can co-exist peacefully and their benign world view is reflected in their pop culture, with cartoons like Astro Boy and Doraemon being particular favourites.
Finding Middle Ground
Large corporations such as great amazon kindle Hong Kong and others who engage in cutting edge research in this field have tried to find a middle ground that will appeal to both investors and consumers. As many developed countries move toward an aging future (because their birth rates are low and life expectancy is high), automation becomes a natural part of life, for there will soon be no one left to conduct manual labour. Thus, companies have to tread the fine line between developing such sophisticated technology that it scares the consumer to making such little progress that the ‘change’ wasn’t even worth it. Scientific and technological advancements have always upset the apple cart in a world that was dying to settle down, and any changes now would also cause a lot of chaos. However, without these changes mankind would definitely left behind,
So what happens in-between? Today, scientists are trying to make robots and software with AI that is supposed to help people go about their daily tasks. Invariably, some AI become ‘too intelligent’ and have to be disabled and it’s back to the drawing board for many people. Either way, AI is here to stay.