What Is Artificial Intelligence?

What is Artificial Intelligence? Shall we be afraid of the rise of the machines? Here is a review article about Artificial Intelligence (hereinafter - AI) and some of the fears associated with it. The article attempts to raise and consider the issue of the peaceful coexistence of man and the digital mind.

A huge wave of interest, the development of myths and various fears in relation to artificial intelligence (AI) has risen for a long time. According to the researchers, society is just on the crest of this wave, because the fiction in old Hollywood films about killer robots and cyborgs is beginning to come true, let us recall, for example, the film "Short Circuit" with the slogan "Number five is alive!", Where a small combat robot on a tracked chassis, one in five, is subjected to a high voltage shock and some intelligence wakes up in him, the robot begins to explore the world in its own way. Only about a quarter of a century has passed since the release of the film, but even now there is no fantasy in what is happening on the screen.

There are two main definitions for artificial intelligence:
1. AI means science and technology of creating intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs;
2. AI means the property of intelligent systems to perform creative functions that are traditionally considered the prerogative of a person.

So here is a full-fledged AI that could solve creative problems, i.e. one that would meet the second definition has not yet been created, and so far there are no clear ideas on how to create it. Getting the computer solve a creative problem is extremely difficult. At the moment, it is only able to process huge amounts of information, and solve certain problems in accordance with a previously programmed algorithm.

If we consider the first definition of AI, then at the moment a lot of devices, programs and machines have been created that fall under this definition, and in this case, we can say that humanity has been using certain fruits of work on the creation of artificial intelligence for a long time. Every day, we hear about the manifestation of AI and machine learning as a collection of powerful tools for intelligent analysis and synthesis of different information, including understanding human language and pattern recognition. A striking example is the use of artificial intelligence in self-driving of a car without human assistance.

Along with all the positive capabilities of AI, we have a certain caste of respected thinkers who say that we must be extremely vigilant in increasing the capabilities of AI, because superintelligent and thinking machines are able to develop a deadly contempt for us, leading to the death of humanity. The same machines, from the "great (programmed) love" for humanity, can decide that they are obliged to seize power on Earth and ensure peace, tranquility and prosperity for humanity. And maybe the health and satiety of people in this case will even grow under the control of smart machines, but it is unlikely, nevertheless, that any of the people will like this state of affairs.

There is also a conviction of people that it is simply impossible to develop AI beyond it, because machines will never be able to think in the same way as humans do. Meanwhile, very well-funded companies claim to be able to provide just about any AI solution for your business today. It is worth noting that if some people think that no AI system will kill us, then we certainly should not forget that robots and various control systems will take away all our jobs and will soon be able to leave most of humanity without work. And although it is clear that in this case the robots themselves will produce enough goods for everyone, and the minimum needs of the unemployed will be satisfied. Nevertheless, the presence of huge masses of people staggering around can lead to unpredictable and serious social conflicts, shifts and problems.

In the quest of intelligent people to break through the information noise and get to the bottom of what AI is and what it can do for us, and should we really be worried about robots leaving us without work or killing us someday while we sleep - there is nothing strange, because everyone wants to live in peace.

Many companies are already using various AI capabilities; it remains only to make this intelligence work completely in our interests. The most likely negative development option would be a theory where, behind the power of AI, the evil genius of a person can appear, and under the dictates of this evil genius, the AI ​​can do evil, but of course not by itself, but as a consequence of the will of a person. After all, evil in itself cannot be the goal of a super intelligent "being", such a "being" will never begin to act only in order to create evil as such. Humanity can only fear that, according to its "will", AI will try to force people behave as it seems right, and not as people want to behave.

In search of the distant future, one should not forget about some of the everyday tasks that AI can already solve ... First, AI already allows us to create systems in which there are no human prejudices, which will exclude any corruption, sympathy and antipathy, and so on. Secondly, AI provides powerful functionalities that are already used in the workplace by the person himself. Thirdly, smart machines are the only tool with which we can process the huge amounts of data that are snowballing around us. AI will be able to analyze, interpret and make sense of data on huge scale that it is not possible for our own mind to process. And to be honest, after all, people are not interested in sitting around and processing dull figures for days, we are interested in drawing conclusions and making decisions based on correctly processed and submitted information (which is what AI is doing today).

As a result, we have a decrease in the use of human resources and shifting them to AI, which allows us to spend less time on routine work and leaves more time for understanding ourselves as a person and solving creative problems that no computer is yet able to solve. And here we are talking not only about scientific and technological problems, but also about all other creative tasks that people and only people put and solve: how to build nicer; draw, dance or sing better; how to cook tastier, how to show more love for others, how to give people more warmth, how to raise children better, and so on. These are the issues that people will be able to think more about if AI removes the solution of routine tasks from us, the processing of dry information, and even the production and delivery of basic material values.