AI’s Development and the Human Response

Advances in machine learning technology are giving artificial intelligence (AI) greater capabilities. AI is revolutionizing human life across a wide range of fields, and it will continue to transform our lives even further. These advances in AI are having both positive and negative effects on humanity.

Among AI’s positive effects are higher productivity, improved disease treatment, and greater convenience in daily life. Looking first at productivity, AI can increase efficiency by automating complex tasks that are difficult for humans to perform.

For example, AI is already replacing humans in various areas such as manufacturing processes, financial transactions, and customer service. In addition, generative AI chatbots are helping improve customer service. One example is “AI Talk,” developed through a joint research project by the Korea IT Education Center and Pohang University of Science and Technology.

AI is also being used in various medical fields, including cancer diagnosis, new drug development, and surgical assistance. Recently, a research team involving Google Health and Imperial College London succeeded in improving cancer diagnosis capabilities using AI. It was reported that the breast cancer detection ability of the AI they developed was no different from that achieved through the collaboration of two doctors.

AI will also enhance convenience in everyday life. It can be used in many areas to improve daily living, including personalized services, traffic congestion relief, and energy efficiency. According to recent reports, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to introduce an AI model to ease traffic congestion.

The AI-based CCTV video recognition traffic volume analysis model operates by automatically classifying footage collected through CCTV, identifying the lane through which vehicles pass, and then using AI to compile traffic volume by lane and vehicle type. This will make it possible to adjust lanes in sections that are habitually congested during commuting hours, thereby helping reduce traffic congestion during rush hour.

On the other hand, the negative effects of AI include job losses, worsening social polarization, and the potential misuse of AI. AI can automate many jobs currently performed by humans, and its development may lead to a decline in employment. Job losses caused by AI are already occurring in various occupations, including call center agents and bank employees. Similar phenomena were also a major factor during past industrial revolutions, when machines replaced existing jobs.

In contrast, AI can replace both blue-collar and white-collar workers alike. As mentioned earlier, AI has the capacity to replace even high-income occupations such as financial analysts and doctors. If they fail to acquire the skills needed to work with AI, even high-income jobs will no longer be secure.

Another negative effect of AI is social polarization. AI can greatly widen the gap between those who have acquired the technology and those who have not, thereby intensifying social polarization. For example, people who possess AI skills will be able to use them to generate more income and enjoy better lives. However, those without AI skills may be unable to make use of the technology and may become economically and socially marginalized.

From a negative standpoint, the most dangerous issue is AI itself. AI can be used for a variety of malicious purposes, including weapons, identity theft, and terrorism. For example, AI can be used to make weapons more precise, steal personal information, or assist in planning terrorist attacks. If a power system were hacked, large-scale damage would be unavoidable.

Dr. Geoffrey Everest Hinton, who contributed to AI development by creating the concept of deep learning, warned that the risks arising from advances in AI are increasing. As AI technology becomes more sophisticated and levels of automation rise, AI could develop agency and become a source of danger in its own right. Dr. Geoffrey Hinton warned, “When AI surpasses human intelligence, the meaning of human existence will disappear.”

Is there no way to maximize the positive effects of AI while minimizing its negative ones? When humans build a sports car, they design it so that it cannot be driven on ordinary roads. In addition, they do not manufacture a sports car if its brakes do not function properly. The same applies to AI. To make use of AI, rules are necessary, and we must acquire the technology needed to control it. The problem, however, is that there is a clear difference between a sports car and AI.

A sports car does not imitate humans. AI, however, imitates and reproduces human intelligence. We cannot simply stand by and watch AI’s negative effects. A good societal response is to develop an ethical framework and regulations for AI.

This is similar to restricting the areas where sports cars may be driven and producing sports cars whose brakes function properly. What each of us must do is receive education about AI. We need to understand how AI works and recognize the potential risks it carries.

Sunghoon Park, Professor, Department of Economics, Chosun University

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Original title: AI의 발전과 인간의 대응

Author: Seong-hun Park

Date: 2023-06-13

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&idx=25795