Artificial Intelligence: Good For What?
As technology improves, one area that is getting a lot of attention is artificial intelligence (or AI for short). AI is defined as the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that would usually require the intelligence of a human. The media and several movies, television shows and books have many times portrayed AI in a negative light. It may seem like they are right in the long run; the field is uncharted territory, but the pros of AI far outweigh the cons.
In education, AI could be extremely useful. For example, having a computer equipped with AI in a classroom means each computer is a teacher. A teacher that can teach any subject on any difficulty level. Students can have a personalized experience because the computer knows how a specific student learns and can adapt accordingly. Students wouldn’t have to wait long to receive grades because computers could grade much quicker than teachers. For students with disabilities, AI can improve their quality of education by making a personalized learning plan that works for individuals—not just for a group. Overall, AI means a near perfect teacher for every single student.
AI could enable robots to perform tasks that are too dangerous for humans. Many robots already perform difficult jobs that humans would rather not do. However, some tasks require more than just programming a robot to do a task ahead of time. Some jobs, such as military training and activity, require real-time thinking and actions. Robots equipped with AI could also be used in scientific research, enabling a “scientist” to be on a planet or close to a star without needing food, water or any special gear. AI could also be used in the workforce as a trainer to help others gain experience in their new job.
One of the most important areas that AI could be used for is in the criminal justice field. Speech-recognition software using artificial intelligence could tell the difference between any two voices and unmask any voice manipulators. Facial recognition would be so advanced that even the faces of twins could be easily distinguishable. At the same time, the computers would be able to draw conclusions based on their analysis, being able to analyze whether a person seems nervous or apprehensive. AI would no doubt allow law enforcement to be more effective in finding criminals.
AI has come a long way since the computer age began, but it still has a long way to go. The cost of development and the difficulty in implementing AI are barriers that need to be overcome, but eventually, AI will be used all over the world to make our lives easier.
