We might not know everything about the world, but something is guaranteed—every change that comes into our lives will impact us in a way. The same applies to Artificial Intelligence. Ever since it’s surfaced, people have been wondering what its impact on society will be.
Sure, it can transform our lives for the better. But is there any opportunity that it can worsen our lives in any way?
In this article, we discuss the forms in which artificial intelligence (AI) will most likely impact society around the world. Although no universally accepted prediction exists about the future of AI, we may soon find out whether we have sparked a revolutionary change or brought doom upon ourselves.
Until then, let’s start by exploring the expected positive aspects of AI, followed by the negative ones.
Productivity Levels Will Increase
Many businesses are interested in improving their productivity levels. A study by Accenture shows that artificial intelligence has the ability to increase productivity by 40% and profitability by an average of 38%. As many tasks are taken out of employees’ hands, they can spend more time focusing on what really matters. Not to mention, that they can commit 100% to the tasks they enjoy and take pride in.
Spare Humans from Risks
There are times when people have to risk their lives to perform a task. Now, the risky limitations can be overcome as we engage with AI robots to do the perilous jobs for us instead. The jobs can vary. Starting from going to space, exploring the farthest places on earth or the deepest parts of oceans. Or even jobs that require people to work in mining caves.
Reduction in Human Errors
At some point in life, all humans tend to mess it up. However, computers do not, at least not when they’re properly programmed. Artificial intelligence devices come to a decision after it gathers enough data from a certain set of algorithms. So, with that being said, the errors are reduced and the possibility of being accurate and precise is quite high.
Unemployment: Loss of Jobs to Machines
One of society’s main concerns is that artificial intelligence will automate many routine jobs. As automation increases, more people will have to leave their current positions. While some view this as a negative aspect of AI, it isn’t necessarily so. Automating routine jobs will create opportunities for people to take on more complex, strategic, and administrative roles. In the cases of customer service, Conversational AI could spare companies time and money.
While many believe that AI will contribute to unemployment, some see AI giving us a hand with repetitive, monotonous jobs. A part of our day goes to tasks that are tedious and that somehow take the time we could have to spend doing something more important. People who want to focus on creative tasks but can’t find the time because of other responsibilities eagerly anticipate the days when AI will take over those tasks.
The Future of Privacy is Concerning
AI has done wonders with its contribution to many areas of our life. Thanks to the vast range of information it constantly gathers and analyzes at maximum speed, scale, and automation. But where does all this information come from? That’s where one of the ethical concerns is raised.
Many tech products that people use daily from phones to smart home appliances have features that make them vulnerable to AI data exploitation. Many people aren’t even aware of the amount of data their devices generate and share, consequently making them more prone to exploitation.
AI technology can identify, track, and monitor people in real-time. This means individuals will lose the privacy of using their devices and their movements will be tracked.
Humans are Becoming Lazy
It appears that once people get used to not doing so much, they can get a bit lazy. In fact, people have gotten used to depending on AI for almost everything. And they cannot imagine not having these technological advancements as part of their lives. Considering the fact that many processes and applications are getting automated, people are getting addicted to these inventions which can cause troubles for future generations.
The impact that AI will have on society is surely significant. While many of these predictions are hypothetical, we’ll know more when the time comes.
As for now, we have nothing to worry about. Expect that the benefits of AI will be greater than its drawbacks.
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