Artificial intelligence: The latest opium of the masses

A new phenomenon is captivating the collective public consciousness. It does not require temples, prayer mats or Sunday sermons. Artificial intelligence seems to be replacing religion as the "opium of the masses," an overwhelming force slowly taking control of our lives, promising utopian futures and sparking endless debates.

- SAMIRAN GHOSH

From chatbots whispering sweet nothings to predictive algorithms knowing you better than your therapist, AI is the shiny addictive toy everyone wants to play with, whether they understand it or not.

The allure of AI is akin to that of religion in its heydays; AI has captured the public imagination. Need to sort your emails, plan your retirement or write a love letter? AI to the rescue. It is the digital messiah, offering convenience and efficiency wrapped in an easy-to-use user interface. Studies show that global AI adoption in businesses shot up by 270% between 2015 and 2022, with the AI industry projected to hit $1.8 trillion by 2030. On the social side, from viral AI-generated creations to ChatGPT penning bedtime stories for kids, AI is a pop-culture movement as much as a tech revolution.

The numbers are miraculous. ChatGPT reached 100 million users in two months, while it took Instagram 2.5 years to do the same. Even TikTok, the last big smash hit, needed nine months to get similar numbers. Threads did it in just over 4 days, but is yet to develop a cult-following like ChatGPT.