The world of Artificial Intelligence: What should Humans do?

A couple of months back, I was traveling to a Bengaluru. As soon as I stepped out of the Bus and switched my Internet connection on — I received a notification on Facebook saying, “Zankrut, keep yourself dry. Rain is forecast!”

I said, “What!? How did Facebook know that I’m here? Neither did I check in nor did I send a message about my arrival! How could it have happened?”

After thinking for a while, I got the answer in the Facebook feature— Nearby Friends. Through that part, Facebook can keep an eye on your location too and they can mold your feed accordingly. Machine Learning! Tadaa!!

You all might have noticed the magic of Machine Learning on your devices by one or other way. Be it Amazon advertisements of the product you just saw, or Google notifications about things happening around you as per your recent searches.

Tesla 3 and other models of Tesla cars are being equipped with self-driving capabilities. Many other carmakers are also trying to implement such Driving systems. Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant are getting smarter day by day and are trying to be as inclusive as they can with the current Human Living Ecosystem.

The world is rapidly changing. We had an industrial revolution in the past which has driven the world to date. But it has reached its age and now the new age revolution has taken the driving seat ( or side seat as cars are self-driven?! ) — THE AGE OF INFORMATION REVOLUTION.

The World is reaching a point of Industry 4.0 where Automation equipped by the Internet of Things and driven by Artificial Intelligence is going to shape the new living.

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We are slowly coming out from the clouds of imagination about technological advancements and as they are becoming a reality today a kind of pessimism is slowly building up in certain sections of society which says for AI regulation and how it would adversely affect the Jobs creation and social balance.

In Interstellar, Cooper says, “ We’re not merely Care Takers. We’re pioneers. Our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us.”

Ideally and pragmatically, we should never entertain an idea that hampers the vision of the progressive building of thoughts and infrastructure of humans. That defeats the sole purpose of being humans — that is being inquisitive and innovative and always thriving for better.

The question might come — then why some people are being naysayers about it? Why this cognitive and behavioral dissonance?

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The reason for such behavioral dissonance is the discomfort in the current structure of the functioning of Humans.

Most of the time, we train ourselves to do certain kinds of jobs. After we’re good at it — we wish not to be hampered and wish it to work as a perpetual motion machine. Just Breathe. When we see that it is not going to work anyway — we surround ourselves with the questions which would discomfort the progress that needs a shift in our way of doing and is questioning the idleness instead of being equipped with what the moment wants.

The naysayers ask:-

• If we have self-driven cars, then what would the contractual drivers do?
• If we have automated robots, what will people do who work in factories?
• If we have Intelligent robots, what will the people who are doing intelligent yet mundane tasks do?

While these are plausible questions — poses the anti-modernist idea. There were many jobs in the past which are non-existent in the present. In the movie Intern — Robert Di Niro says to Anne Hathaway, “I used to lead a team in very same office as you for postcard factory. Now that business is non-existent and your online fashion store is ruling the streets. I guess what I did for 40 years is useless!”

To which Anne replies, “Well, evolution is the key! However, something can only be built upon what already exists. Wisdom drives and that’s why you’re here.”

And technology would always bring new Jobs and a new ways of doing them. How? Read here: Individual Capitalism:: Empowering People

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So now, how to fight the dissonance?

If we closely look at the jobs which are under the scanner, are mostly mundane jobs. By mundane jobs, I mean that they do not require a conscious effort.

For example, A worker in a factory would have a certain goal to complete during a day. He would be paid to do that certain task for certain hours. There’s no conscious effort attached to it. Of course, at first — he would have invested his conscious energy to learn the task but from the very next day, he would be doing his task yawning.

However, as long as it did not question the worker’s existence he would rather not use his conscious space anymore.

Now — We can train systems to do the task where Human consciousness is not required and that’s where AI comes in. We train our algorithms to reach to a certain goal and then substitute the human thus saving costs and also a mind.

So, now what is this consciousness?

When you’re aware of what you’re doing and you’re presently thinking about what you’re doing and tweaking your behavioral and mental antiques according to the situation — that’s being conscious!

Humans are constantly growing — we always have demeaned the power of being one. The Brain and The Mind — they have been intricately designed to actively think. Thinking actively means to be aware of the dynamic environment we face and be conscious to make decisions.

Little example:

When you drove your car for the first time — you were actively thinking about your positions of the clutch, brake, accelerator, and how to take turn what speed to drive and so many other questions.

But as you grew as a driver, that job of driving has been transferred to your subconscious and subconscious mind drives the car and conscious mind is free. That’s why you listen to music or talk with people around you.

This example goes with everything. give an active thought about it!

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With technological advancements — we also need to learn about new ways of doing things. Instead of training people for mundane jobs — we need to train them for conscious jobs! ( That is also a Job, by the way, :))

So, the anti modernists who question the idea of AI into our lives — instead of questioning the Technology — question your inner self. How are you adding value to the dynamic environment around you by being conscious enough?

Written: 25.10.2017 on Blogger