The advancement we have made in the field of AI is phenomenal, and their implementations in the real world staggering; however, the technical skepticism, as well as myths fueled by Hollywood flicks still puzzle a significant lot.
In this feature, we debunk the top Artificial Intelligence (AI) myths, and while doing so, we give you a brief insight on how AI works.
Since the term AI or Artificial Intelligence was coined by John McCarthy back in 1955, it has come a long way. But what does this term “Artificial Intelligence” actually mean? Generally, Intelligence refers to the ability to understand what’s happening, apply logic, reason, plan, solve problems, and most importantly learn; traits that a typical human being is gifted with. Now, give the same capability to a computer to solve problems or carry out certain tasks, you get Artificial Intelligence.
But can you make a computer or a machine as smart as a human being? Can AI do almost everything a human could? Is there a possibility of AI taking over the world and enslaving humanity? Although these questions seem like genuine concerns, there’s no denying that these come surrounded by a bunch of myths. Let’s take a look.
Here are the Top Artificial Intelligence (AI) Myths Debunked
AI Myth 1: AI will Eventually Replace all Jobs
Just like any technological advances humanity has made over the years, AI aids us to be more efficient and productive.
Yes, some jobs became or will become redundant. But, that doesn’t mean this Artificial Intelligence myth about AI taking over all our jobs is true. Most jobs will remain. Humans will work with AI for increased productivity, better service, less repetitive tasks, and more time on their hands to focus on more significant jobs.
Moreover, AI is bound to generate new jobs in not just IT, but various other sectors.
AI Myth 2: Not All Businesses need AI
In the current scenario, definitely not all businesses need AI; however, as suggested by QTS, almost all industries, businesses, or organizations will be needing Artificial Intelligence implementations in one way or another over the following decade.
AI has already found its place among various sectors. This including medicine, e-commerce, customer care, food delivery, cab, legal, education, and more. It’s just a matter of time all these sectors will begin implementing AI to stay ahead in the game.
AI Myth 3: Businesses Need to Invest Huge inorder to Implement AI
It is a common misconception that only huge companies and heavily funded businesses can make use of AI. Although certain implementations do require deep research and an astronomical budget, various budget-friendly AI-based tools are readily available for businesses to incorporate in their daily activities.
Today, businesses can choose from a vast number of AI tools to help them with lead generation, sales, data collection, data analysis, competitor analysis, recruitments, employee management, customer support, and more.
AI Myth 4: AI can Process Any Data
Many AI newbies are under the misconception that Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning algorithms are supreme, and can process any sort of data you feed to them.
Although AI works on algorithms, without proper data it will be rendered useless. You just cannot feed the system a set of data that isn’t curated properly, isn’t of good quality, or in a way, the system doesn’t recognize it.
AI Myth 5: AI can Surpass Human Intelligence and in no-time will Enslave Us
How movies can largely impact your thoughts is pretty much evident by this AI myth. Just pick a sci-fi flick; The Terminator series, Minority Report, Space Odyssey, Ex Machina, Blade Runner, The Matrix, and even Disney’s Wall-E depict how advanced AI is going to be in the future.
Some of these movies have gone to the extent of showing how AI might try to dominate the human race. Well, whether you are excited or terrified about this myth to turn out to be true, I’m sorry to inform you, but it is not going to happen, not at least in the foreseeable future. And even if scientists are able to develop an AI system capable of thinking like humans, they would still be machines, doing things we would specifically tell them to.
In the end,
yes, we have advanced too much in the field of Artificial Intelligence, but it hasn’t reached a frontier where it could match human intelligence, work on gibberish data, or pose any threat to life.
