THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TAKEOVER

It's estimated that 300 million jobs could be impacted by this futuristic technology

- VERONIQUE HAWKSWORTH

The robots are taking over... sort of. When tech company OpenAI introduced its ChatGPT chatbot in November 2022, it caused a mixed response - many were impressed, while others were worried. The software, even in its early form, seemed to be capable of everything from writing poetry to explaining complex concepts, and even passing exams. Now, eight months on, its advanced learning technology has come even further, with much of what it writes barely distinguishable from a real human.

Chatbots, and other tech with the ability to interact with us, have been around for years think Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa or virtual helpers on shopping websites. But as the tech has developed, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly become more sophisticated. It's not just dialogue - even art is getting the AI touch, with programs like Dall-E and Midjourney creating masterpieces. And Al is now even able to aid in surgical procedures, leading many to ask - would you trust a robot with your life?

But the rapid development of AI isn't just for computer whizzes, as it's increasingly integrated into our everyday lives and work. Investment bank Goldman Sachs recently predicted that a shocking 300 million jobs worldwide could be lost or degraded by the use of AI. The development of this tech is a booming industry in itself, with the market currently worth almost $100 billion and set to increase 20-fold by 2030.

But fears about Al's capabilities have flooded the news, with Google Al pioneer Geoffrey Hinton resigning from the company in May amid concerns that Al's rapid roll-out poses not just a threat to our jobs, but to humanity itself. And according to Mr Hinton, these fears may not be as far away as initially thought. 'I thought it was 30 to 50 years or even longer away,' he said. 'Obviously, I no longer think that.'

HELPING BUSINESSES