EXPERTS have expressed concerns over rapidly growing artificial intelligence and its potential to take away human choices and decisions.
A survey of AI experts made by the American think tank Pew Research Center has highlighted some major concerns.
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The report states: “Today there is general agreement that smart machines, bots and systems powered mostly by machine learning and artificial intelligence will quickly increase in speed and sophistication between now and 2035.
“As individuals more deeply embrace these technologies to augment, improve and streamline their lives, they are continuously invited to outsource more decision-making and personal autonomy to digital tools.
“Some analysts have concerns about how business, government and social systems are becoming more automated.
“They fear humans are losing the ability to exercise judgment and make decisions independent of these systems.”
AI’s importance and the many benefits it could have for humans is also flagged in the report.
The research involved 540 experts in the field answering specific questions.
The majority of them were said to raise concerns over companies and governments not honoring the human desire to be in control of decisions.
Some experts even raised concerns that people already let AI and machines make a lot of daily decisions for them.
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Barry Chudakov, founder and principal, Sertain Research, predicted: “By 2035, the relationship between humans and machines, bots and systems powered mostly by autonomous and artificial intelligence will look like an argument with one side shouting and the other side smiling smugly.
“The relationship is effectively a struggle between the determined fantasy of humans to resist (‘I’m independent and in charge and no, I won’t give up my agency!’) and the seductive power of technology designed to undermine that fantasy (‘I’m fast, convenient, entertaining! Pay attention to me!’).”
Other experts were quoted sharing Chudakov’s concerns that humans wouldn’t be involved in making future tech-based decisions.
Kathryn Bouskill, anthropologist and AI expert at the Rand Corporation, added: “Some very basic functions of everyday life are now completely elusive to us.
“People have little idea how we build AI systems, control them and fix them.
“Many are grasping for control, but there is opaqueness in terms of how these technologies have been created and deployed by creators who oversell their promises.
“Right now, there is a huge chasm between the public and AI developers. We need to ignite real public conversations to help people fully understand the stakes of these developments.”
