Boon Or Bane? That Is The Question

Regardless of the cheers and fears regarding AI, we are a long way from it being truly safe and acceptable

- B Ravindran

THERE IS TREMENDOUS excitement in the air about artificial intelligence (AI) across the world today. Everyone seems to be talking about AI—from leaders of the industry, scientific thinkers, heads of state, to the grandmother next door. The subject has been widely welcomed as the salvation of humankind, and, at the same time, has invited criticism for bringing in the potential doom of humans.

TAKING AWAY JOBS 

According to a 2017 Gartner report, AI could lead to a staggering 1.8 million job losses, particularly in the manufacturing sector. In the long run, however, it will create more than 2 million jobs in other sectors, including health care and education, which will continue to be skill-oriented. This reaffirms the fact that the impact of AI on employment will vary, depending on the industry.

As is the case with any disruptive technology, AI will change the landscape of employment, along with the human resource and skill requirements across sectors. It is for time to tell which jobs are likely to be replaced and what new skills will become valuable in the future. No one could have imagined the role of a BPO executive 25 years ago. The job market is always evolving and diversifying, generating new skill needs for various industries that may not necessarily be automated.

Therefore, both the advantages of AI and the risks associated with it are a long way from being realised. We are several years, if not decades, away from achieving true humanlevel AI. There are many pressing and real problems that need to be addressed so that AI can truly be functional. Let us take a look at the challenges that the AI community needs to address before we can claim the arrival of an all-pervasive AI.

ADVERSARIAL ATTACKS