Introduction: understanding the AI to understand our future
We live in an era where artificial intelligence comes silently in our daily lives: we recommend the movie, it corrects our text, recognizes faces in photos, and even driving cars. And yet, around this concept, there is still a lot of confusion. What really is AI? It is an artificial mind? It is more intelligent than us? Or is it just a technology, like so many others, that we can use and adjust?
To understand what is (and is not), the artificial intelligence is the first step to take informed the challenges of the present and of the future. It means dismantling the myths, to recognize limits and take advantage of the real potential of this technology.
What is artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that deals with the design of systems able to perform tasks that, until recently, required human intelligence: recognize images, understand language, play chess or analyze large amounts of data.
There is no single definition and definitive, but we can say that the AI is a set of algorithms and techniques designed to mimic – in a more or less sophisticated – some of the functions of human cognition. It is not an artificial consciousness, or a thinking being. It is a technology powered by data and statistical models.
The main types of artificial intelligence
IA weak (or narrow)
Is the AI more common today. It is designed to perform specific tasks: recognizing the voice, translate a phrase, suggest a feature. Does not include the world: reacts in accordance with rules and data.
IA strong (hypothetical)
The IA strong, still theoretical, it would indicate a machine that can think, learn and decide for themselves, as (or more than) a human being. Does not exist today, but feeds ethical reflection, and science fiction.
IA generative
It is the type of AI that creates: text, images, music. Examples are famous ChatGPT, FROM·AND Midjourney. They are not creative in the human sense, but renders the data according to the rules of the calculus of probability. We also talked about in the article How ChatGPT Is Changing the Way We Communicate.
What can (and can't) do the IA
The AI is a useful and powerful. It can analyze data, recognize patterns, and automate workflows. But it also has material limitations:
- Don't understand what processes.
- Has no consciousness, intentions, or emotions.
- Does not distinguish independently between true/false or right/wrong.
- Can inherit bias and distortions in the data.
As explained in the article The IA Unjust: Algorithms and Bias in Algorithmic, an algorithm can reproduce discrimination if it is not designed carefully.
The most common myths about artificial intelligence
“We will steal all the jobs”
The AI will change the world of work, but not necessarily for the worse. Some roles will disappear, others will be born. The true node is the social formation, adaptation, redistribution of opportunity. We also talk about it in AI and the Future of Work: Opportunities and Risks.
“Understand it all”
No. The AI mimics the understanding. It may seem smart, but he does not know what he is saying. Works with patterns and the statistics, not by thought.
“Is neutral”
Nothing is neutral. The data reflect the company. The algorithms can amplify inequalities if they are not correct and supervised.
“It will become sentient”
To date, no IA show signs of consciousness. It is a debate that are more philosophical than technical.
The crucial role of data and algorithms
The algorithms are the instructions. The datatheir fuel. If the data is incomplete, unbalanced, or dirty, the result will be unreliable. That's why serve ethical standards, transparency and controls human. A useful reference is the Report TO the Index of the Stanford University.
Conclusion: why do we need a critical understanding of the IA
The AI is not magic, nor a danger to the inevitable. It is a powerful technology that asks us. To understand it is to know how to use it, when to limit it, and where to improve it.
Need an education spread to her, not only for developers and decision-makers, but to every citizen that meets (often without knowing it).