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In the beginning, every new technology is a mystery. The mystery in tact remains until people learn how the technology works and how it stands to change their lives. Most of the time, a new specific technology will change people’s lives for the better. With that said, new technologies might also come with a bit of a downside because perfection is fleeting.
Artificial Intelligence or AI is one of the hot new technologies that is spreading throughout the world. To be fair, it’s not really a new technology. A raw form of AI was actually introduced in England around 1951. As one might imagine, this evolving technology has gone through hundreds of interactions over the past 70+ years. It has just recently reached the point where it’s highly functional and clearly on track to change the way we live our lives.
The question is, “Will AI truly changes our lives for the better?” To answer this very important and relevant question, it makes sense that a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this technology is in order.
The Advantages of AI Technology
It would be an understatement to say that the AI concept has stirred up its fair share of controversy. There are legitimate fears out there in the world, fears that AI could eventually be harmful to mankind. Whether or not that is true remains to be seen. For now, the technology offers some great advantages such as:
Able to Function 24/7/365
Humans get tired. We need downtime to rest our minds and bodies. That’s not the case with AI. AI-driven machines are able to function 24/7/365 without human intervention because AI technology has progressed to the point that machines can now think and make decisions. As long as the hardware is functional, AI is able to do what it’s intended to do.
It’s Scalable
While humans have limitations on the number of things they can do at a time, that is not the case with AI. AI technology can handle a seemingly infinite number of tasks at one time.
Example: Human customer service reps can only serve one person at a time. AI allows interactions with thousands of customers at the same time.
Able to Perform Mundane Tasks
Time is money. It’s true that people have to waste a lot of time on menial or mundane tasks, leaving less time for them to handle important tasks. AI technology can be programmed to multi-task and handle time-consuming menial tasks, leaving people with more time to address important issues.
Provides Error-free Results
People make mistakes. They make mistakes because they get tired, distracted, and don’t always follow proper protocols when doing certain tasks. AI is able to consistently make decisions based on established rules and protocols without exception.
Example: ChatGPT is an AI-driven platform that is able to write content. When writing content, it’s able to draw on established rules related to grammar, which results in very few if any grammatical errors. That’s a tall task for humans.
Enhances Safety
Automotive AI offers great insight as to how AI can be used to keep us safe. AI car-operation features like lane-departure warnings and General Motors’ Super Cruise feature help keep drivers focused and safe while they are driving.
AI can even be programmed to detect unhealthy gambling patterns at online casinos to better protect consumers. Or perhaps better identify legitimate casino partners like nodepositbonus.cc vs. rogue operators who intend to trick or deceive would-be gamblers.
The Disadvantages of AI Technology
Of course, with the good comes some bad. Here are some of the disadvantages created by AI technology.
Compromised Creativity
Unlike humans, AI has no capacity to be creative or think critically. It can only produce results based on the data and algorithms that are programmed into the technology. Sure, it does have the ability to learn, but it can only use programmed information to formulate new thoughts.
Eroded Skill-sets in Humans
Over time, people learn skills by doing. If they stop doing because AI is handling certain things on their behalf, skills related to doing those things will tend to erode. It’s the practice makes perfect concept that gets compromised.
Job Loss and Displacement
This is the disadvantage that has people really concerned. It’s true that AI-driven machines can handle bigger workloads more efficiently than humans. While that might result in cost-savings, that cost savings is often attained by the firing of people. At a minimum, people will be displaced from manual jobs and have to learn new skills.
Decreased Work Ethic
It’s human nature for people to do as little as possible to get a paycheck or complete a task. If AI can do something on their behalf, they might end up losing motivation to do things for themselves.
Conclusion: Advantages and disadvantages aside, it looks like AI is here to stay. That makes it incumbent on each of us to prepare for a future where the way we interact with the world is going to be substantially different whether it’s for better or worse.