Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are revolutionizing several aspects of how different entities operate and resulting in significant changes to individuals’ lifestyles and choices. Such changes have to be analyzed thoroughly to ensure that they contribute to the well-being of humanity instead of their regression.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is driven by Big Data[1] is shaping the new upcoming revolution. It is already impacting several aspects of our lifestyle (fashion, researching, employment, etc.), whether positively or negatively, and will continue to do so driving the Intelligence Revolution[2]. The AI revolution is set to capture as much data as possible and convert every coded machine to a smart device that can think, recommend and ultimately impact our choices subconsciously. As a result of the many expected changes, it is anticipated to revolutionize life as we know it today.
On one hand, it may solve key social issues (such as reckless driving through safe self-driving cars), environmental issues (such as reduce the energy usage of factories), and health issues ( such as early detection of cancer through smarter MRI machines) challenges. On the other hand, it could also be easily used to negatively impact public opinion, further encouraging hate speech and/or further contributing to racism.
According to an Internal Facebook Report, 64% of individuals who joined extremist groups on Facebook did so because the algorithms guided them there[3]. As a result, there are two opposing clubs out there: one supporting the adoption of AI and new tech through research and enhancements, while the other calling out for further regulations and increased ethical standards before further advancements. Social movements such as those driven by the Center of Humane Technology[4] are calling out humanity to opt-out of AI-driven social media platforms, given their recorded contribution to polarizing societies, increasing mental health issues, and radicalization. Hence the bigger question to ask is: are we amid a revolution or another fraud?
But what is the first fraud? And was it really a fraud? In his masterpiece “Sapiens”, Yuval Harari[5] refers to the agricultural revolution as ‘History’s Biggest Fraud’ – a time where humanity shifted from a hunter’s curiosity-chasing lifestyle to a domesticated farmers’ lifestyle, where most of the individual’s time was dedicated to the growth of their crops. Although this change improved several aspects of life then, it resulted in a lifestyle that was less diet-diverse, satisfying, and leisure-full to the average person.
Furthermore, it only improved the lives of rich farmers, while peasants continued to struggle during seasons of drought. Interestingly, Harari also believes that the agricultural revolution didn’t start in a specific region but spread over multiple regions. It was led via collaborative human activity in multiple places, without acknowledgment of its downsides on their ultimate happiness and self-satisfaction[6]. This explains why it was then perceived as a natural upgrade to a hunter’s lifestyle, and why this shift has been historically analyzed as a ‘revolution’ – a leap forward, an ameliorate instead of a ‘fraud’.
Humanity today is going through a similar ‘shift’ in many aspects, driven by the power of tech – algorithms, hidden codes, and self-learning systems. These are gradually taking over multiple aspects of our life including social connectedness, political opinions, and our overall knowledge and understanding. Similar to the agricultural revolution, it can’t be paused because it is not driven by a single source. Instead, we need to be more cautious and realize that we are at a critical phase that will determine whether we hand off a better or worse world to the next generation.
Secondly, consider the pros and cons of every tech enhancement we make; both short and long-term impacts ensuring that profitability is not the only deciding factor. It is increasingly crucial to drive people’s attention to both the positives and negatives of implementing new tech in simple easy words, especially since downsides tend to be qualitative versus the quantitative nature of upsides.
Thirdly, continuously tracking and correcting to ensure that self-learning machines continue to be driven to serve humanity’s best interest.
Those three steps don’t offer a full solution for such a sophisticated dilemma, but they are the basics required to ensure we are considering multiple factors when deciding. It also ensures that the right process and system is in place that will ultimately consider key factors, including the happiness and well-being of all segments of society. By doing so, we ensure we leverage the great tech powers of today for a truly better tomorrow.
References:
[1] Refers to the availability of large volumes of data from multiple resources that are too complex to be processed using traditional analytics software. Corporations invest heavily today in gathering and processing such data to make better decisions that will help them outperform the competition.
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/08/10/what-is-the-artificial-intelligence-revolution-and-why-does-it-matter-to-your-business/?sh=15369ccb547b
[3] https://www.thesocialdilemma.com
[4] https://www.humanetech.com
[5] Sapiens; A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
[6] Part Two: The Agricultural Revolution, Sapiens; A Brief History of Humankind
Sign up to Sail Newsletter
Never miss another article!
Thank you for subscribing.
Something went wrong.
