The speed at which Artificial Intelligence is progressing can be a real threat to mankind. Discuss.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a relatively new field that has only been introduced in the 20th century, whereas natural intelligence, which humans possess, has been around for thousands of years. However, AI’s age does not seem to be the indicator of how powerful it is and can be in the future, as many people feel threatened by its staggering rate of progress. In my opinion, it is mostly true that AI is developing so fast that it may potentially change the world for the worse. The most obvious drawback of AI is the possibility of it taking over the workforce. Currently, plenty of people are doing jobs that require them to receive information from customers, then input it into computers, such as receptionists. With AI, the whole process may be replaced completely by automatic robots, which can process information much faster than normal humans can. The role of many workers is, therefore, threatened as nobody is certain when AI will be developed to this stage where they can take over humans’ jobs. In reality, in some restaurants in Japan, robotic waiters are already in use, cutting down on the number of human workers in the field. While some people praise the progress, some are concern about the fate of those whose roles are replaced. One moment they are doing unreplaceable work, the next they are tossed aside for more efficient robots that are not distracted by environmental factors like them. Thus, the development of AI has caused many to feel threatened. Secondly, AI has also revolutionised cybercrime in the worst way possible. Criminals can now gain personal information about us through AI devices in our homes and may potentially use that information to access our credit cards or even our houses. Amazon Echo device, Alexa, had mistakenly eavesdropped on a couple’s conversation and sent it to the husband’s employee, who had, thankfully, informed them of the incident. The mistake happened because Alexa picked up on certain keywords in their background conversation, which is disconcerting as now users do not know whether their private conversations are already stored in Alexa’s memory, vulnerable to hackers online. Therefore, as AI is developing to a stage where it is more available to everyone, people’s personal information is now stored online in those AI devices, making it more accessible to cybercriminals. However, it cannot be denied that AI has proven to be extremely beneficial to mankind in various fields. Though AI is normally associated with more sophisticated areas like automation or robotics, AI can be closer and more useful than we think. When Apple first introduced Siri, a virtual personal assistant, in 2011, the world was sceptical at first, but soon fell in love with the idea. Little did they realise then, they had welcomed a low-level AI into their daily lives. Now, in 2018, not only Apple but Microsoft, Amazon and Android have also ventured into the AI field and came up with their own virtual personal assistants to help users manage their day better. Therefore, though the future of AI ruining our world is still a possible outcome, AI is already a much-needed part of our lives, and its progress can be beneficial to humankind. Overall, even though I believe AI can benefit humankind in many ways, I reckon the drawbacks of its progress far outweigh the advantages. While AI can automatise our life, it can result in a decrease in jobs available for mankind, and the misuse of it will lead to dreadful consequences. Thus, as AI is progressing at a staggering rate, it is becoming more of a threat to mankind.