How Artificial Intelligence will Impact Society
Let's try to clarify what Artificial Intelligence is since it is being discussed exponentially all over the world. Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be defined as one of the most advanced technologies that humanity has ever created compared to other human inventions. Its scope of application is vast and ranges from home automation to assisted medical diagnosis to autonomous driving of vehicles. Many companies and governments invest in this technology because it promises to improve human life from an economic, medical, and political point of view.
To explain briefly even if in a simplified way, it can be claimed that AI, with today's electronic technologies and computer programming techniques, is based on the processing of enormous amounts of data through algorithms. These algorithms can be more or less complex and range from direct comparison for sequences of images to advanced statistical-mathematical programs. The current algorithms have been developed to solve specific problems, such as medical diagnosis, product recommendations, or detecting user behavior on social media. These algorithms have been tested on massive amounts of data, often using the entire world of the internet as a reference, to "train" the system to recognize patterns and relationships between data.
Once this is understood, it can be easily deduced that the main problem of AI is its "zero intelligence" (a problem that applies to those who want to achieve a reasoning system similar to the human one, as well as those who believe that it can respond irrefutably to any question). This means that it does not possess its own consciousness and cannot perform any activity outside of its purpose, that is, it is not able to self-determine, thus it cannot achieve more than what it was programmed to do.
This is the current reality: we do not know if today's new processors and new technologies can bring artificial intelligence to self-awareness in an unspecified number of years ahead, but we can certainly assert that, at present, such consciousness does not exist at all (to enter a bit into the future, the so-called "neuromorphic approach" is under study which, by simulating the human synaptic process, will try to make it less and less dependent on guided training to make it autonomous, but it is still a project in its embryonic stage and to be proven).
Therefore, the risks of AI and the harm to human life that may arise from it are limited by its use: the machine, not being able to understand the reason for its actions or their meaning, does not possess in itself a sense of ethics, morality, or self-awareness. This leads to other issues such as the possibility of causing damage unintentionally, which is why training (the much-cited "Machine Learning") is fundamental and irreplaceable for now.
If anything, the problem with this technology (like any powerful resource that can be used for any purpose) is that it is currently available to everyone, from a child who wants to emulate the latest action movie and asks how to build an explosive device with products available in their home kitchen to malicious groups creating autonomous weapons that select and attack targets without any human control, or it may be used to spread disinformation and political propaganda, not to mention the use for fraud such as stealing sensitive data or bank credentials. If these technologies become accessible to anyone, they can increase both the likelihood of real-life crimes and cyber-attacks and "cyber-crimes," which already exist but will obviously be exponentially amplified.
Another concern is the lack of regulation of its use, which could lead to situations where it is used incorrectly or irrefutably, with potentially harmful consequences. For these reasons, it is necessary that such technologies are developed and used responsibly and in line with a well-defined legal and ethical framework.
However, AI is feared by many people: a fear mainly related to those who do not understand its operation, but also by the fears of its programmers and developers, who realize how this technology (if not regulated or controlled) can cause serious social, political, and military damage, so much so that someone ventures that it could even compromise the future of the human race.
To give some numbers, a recent survey showed that 72% of Americans are afraid of AI while 67% are afraid of robotics, at least empirically, without consider then when looking for a remedy for diseases or even trivial problems (from getting an x-ray, an ultrasound, or an MRI to simple help balancing weekly expenses), we realize how that machine that "scans" us can be a very valuable aid in diagnosing diseases or helping us in everyday life, thus preserving and improving our lives. This is because, as stated before, it is not the technology itself that defines it useful or harmful but its use.