AI Myths – Popular AI Myths You Shouldn’t Believe

AI Myths – Popular AI Myths You Shouldn’t Believe

AI myths are often confused with facts due to the technology hype. Many theories revolve around AI taking over human civilization, but this is not possible due to the actual capabilities of AI and how it is being used. But many people don’t know this and are misled by some of the myths they’ve heard. This article will discuss such theories’ real-world implications and possibilities and attempt to separate hype from reality in the AI sphere.

Artificial Intelligence Fact vs Fiction

AI is a computer program that mimics certain human thinking and intelligence aspects. Machine learning algorithms are built to improve upon themselves by learning. Human intelligence uses the transfer of learning, which allows knowledge to be generalized and applied to similar problems.

AI algorithms are created with a template of the task they will solve. AI is limited in its ability to generalize knowledge and exhibit functionality like humans, so all AI programs created today are narrow AI.

AI has found great adoption in the enterprise sector, as it can improve the speed and accuracy of many company processes and solve complex business problems. AI has been widely adopted due to the vast computing power at our disposal.

Most Common Myths About AI

Movies like ‘Terminator’, ‘I, Robot’, and ‘Eagle Eye’ have catapulted villainous AI into pop culture. The idea of machines thinking for themselves has existed since the late 1950s. First, as a mainstay villain of science fiction writers, then as a technology that was hailed as the next big revolution, AI has been relevant for a long time.

While the AI in these representations is shown to be omniscient and all-powerful, with access to indestructible robots or a military arsenal, AI today is simply a collection of complex computer programs. Therefore, most myths about AI taking over the world are impossible with today’s technology. Let us look at these myths in detail.

1. AI Will Take Over Jobs

The most popular AI theory is that AI will lead to mass unemployment due to its advanced and cheap cost. However, this is not the case because various jobs require cognitive tasks that humans can do better than AI. AI will augment existing jobs but will replace some low-level jobs.

Daniel Shaw-Dennis, SVP of Global Strategic Marketing and Alliances, Yellowfin, shares that AI technology for analytics is largely about automating the things that are done manually, freeing analysts up to perform more high-value tasks.

2. AI Will Control The World

Science fiction has long featured the world being taken over by AI. Numerous tales depict artificial intelligence programs gaining access to the most secure systems on earth and overthrowing global governments. Some claim these programs could control a nation’s nuclear arsenals and wipe out humanity.

There is never a circumstance where this is feasible. First, artificial intelligence programs cannot be granted such national security privileges because they will only be used as a tool. Without human assistance, they won’t be able to make these choices.

Furthermore, because they only have limited intelligence for their predetermined problem, they cannot “hack” their way into the security systems in use today. Additionally, AI cannot rule the world through current systems because training a limited AI to govern a single nation is impossible.

Furthermore, controlling people through surveillance is unimportant because superintelligent AI or even ordinary AI may not want to rule over people.

3. AI Robots Will Rule Humans

Science fiction villains frequently use robots and malicious AI programs. One of the most prevalent theories is the myth that AI will produce intelligent robots that rebel against humans. First of all, current robot technology is far from that of science fiction.

Today, they are typically not used in conjunction with intelligent algorithms; rather, they are programmed to carry out repetitive tasks like an assembly line. Even robot personal assistants are limited to a handful of jobs. The issue of AI-powered robots obtaining weapons is frequently brought up.

However, the cognitive requirement for this will not only require complex algorithms and a lot of computing power. These algorithms can’t be used in such a remote area because they require a sizable back-end computing infrastructure.

4. AI Will Develop On Its Own Without Human Knowledge

According to this theory, AI will suddenly “go rogue” and advance to a point where humans will be powerless to stop it. First of all, AI researchers have devoted resources to the development of AI that can not only learn from data but also from its outcomes.

Slow advancements in this area have recently led to unsupervised machine learning. Otherwise, an AI cannot independently rebel against humanity by developing consciousness and sentience. Since AI algorithms are merely intelligent programs that use computing power to solve challenging problems, they cannot evolve beyond their code.

This scenario has a slight chance of happening if accurate general artificial intelligence is developed in the future. This scenario, however, is unlikely to take place in the near or distant future when considering the forward-thinking regulatory practices being taken towards AI today.

5. AI Will Eventually Learn To Function Like The Human Brain

Algorithms used in artificial intelligence are just that: algorithms. They are simply a complicated set of instructions for a computer to follow and in no way resemble how the human brain functions. While modern AI developments like neural networks have drawn inspiration from the human brain’s structure, they cannot think like people.

At least in the case of AI, as we currently understand it, there are numerous cognitive processes that a computer program can’t duplicate. Furthermore, many unknown factors are still at play, making it very challenging to replicate a human brain in software completely.

This myth won’t become a reality unless significant advances in AI and neuroscience exist.

6. Only Big Companies Can Use AI

Software giants dominate the AI landscape, leading many to believe that only big companies can effectively utilize and control AI. However, this theory is unfounded as AI startups are booming, and efforts to democratize AI have been undertaken. Daniel Shaw-Dennis, SVP of Global Strategic Marketing and Alliances, advises SMBs to look at the problem they’re trying to solve or the solution they’re looking to deliver and see where it would benefit from AI technology.

7. More Data Means Better AI

A second urban legend holds that better AI develops naturally as more data is collected. First, AI is only as good as the data it consumes. Most advantages of training AI are absent if the data is inaccurate or improperly structured.

This is because AI only searches through data to determine the most practical solution; it does not enhance the provided data. For the AI to be truly effective, any data provided must be in a machine-readable format.

Labelling the massive amounts of data that big businesses collect is a challenge. If the data is clear and simple for the AI algorithm to understand, more data can be translated into better AI.

8. AI Puts Our Data At Risk

AI has come under fire for its predatory data collection methods, which many large software companies use. Concerns about the leakage of private information due to data breaches are among them, as is the need to protect the privacy of the customers who provide the data.

Private user data is indirectly used for financial gain by gaining insights as this data is fed into an algorithm. Regulations, like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, which requires businesses to use data responsibly, is easing the blow for consumers.

Additionally, this means that consumer privacy cannot be violated. However, even with such regulations, businesses might not stop their practices, so this myth remains unanswered.

Conclusion

There are many AI myths, and many of them may seem plausible. The limitations of artificial intelligence are not well known, and the hype surrounding the technology may make it appear to be a miraculous cure.

Although many businesses are implementing AI to streamline their operations, the hype surrounding AI could lead them astray.

Understanding the difference between reality and hype is crucial when discussing artificial intelligence, especially considering the general public’s perception. Pop culture has solidified AI’s status as the supreme villain or an all-pervasive, all-knowing ghost in the machine. It is just a sophisticated computer program under our control, just like a text editor or web browser.

Anyone who wants to pursue AI in the future must develop their ideas about what the technology is capable of and strictly adhere to what it cannot. It is best to leave general and superintelligent AI to future generations or science fiction writers.