Top 5 Myths About AI That Newbies Have
“Debunking the false hype with truth rather than fiction.”
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have always fascinated the human mind and captured our attention for decades now. While Hollywood has raked in millions through plots such as T-800 in the ‘Terminator’ or showcasing alternative augmented realities in movies such as ‘Tron’, they have also given birth to the fear that artificial intelligence is not entirely loyal to the humans in the long run. Over the years, as machine learning and artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, more smarter, our new generation is still struggling to cope with the fears that media fantasies and inadequate information has planted in their minds. The fact of the matter is that most of this fear concerning AI is solely the result of an overactive imagination revolving around a fantasy that the machines will become smarter than its creators and take over all the negative human attributes with it.
Well it is 2020 and the Skynet prophecy clearly did not come true, so keeping the rational reality in perspective it is pivotal that we pointed certain hard hitting facts surrounding artificial intelligence in the world today. The millennials can surely breathe a sigh of relief as well as logic since machine learning and AI are the future, and the truth is what we are all standing for.
Myth 1 : AI can outsmart humans without us realising it.
Reality : AI is as smart as the human who programmed it – period.
The AI is designed uniquely to complete work for humans in a smarter and more time
saving fashion. Having said that, a programmer programs an AI to do exactly what the purpose of its creation stands for. The AI is neither conscious nor self-aware, hence there is never a chance that exists for it to become smarter than the humans who created it. Also as we step into the future, there will never be an artificial intelligence that is created without people. There are also technical algorithms in place so the AI is built using the tools provided by us and has limited power to make decisions on our behalf where necessary.
Myth 2 : AI is going to steal all the jobs in the coming future.
Reality : AI will upgrade the existing jobs & generate new opportunities.
In fact, this is one of the biggest and most realistic fear that the Gen-Z carries in today’s
time and we don’t entirely blame them for that. Artificial intelligence has indeed been very useful in replacing manpower otherwise required for boring as well as repetitive tasks such as data managerial and date operating. But this does not imply that professionals from those fields are out of a job, it simply means that their time and effort can be utilised for more prioritised tasks. The industrial revolution has taken place every few decades for centuries now and while some workers lose their job during the process, they transform their roles as other opportunities open up. We understand change is a scary phenomena but a change is also incredible at times which is only possible if we move on and do things differently.
Myth 3 : When I have no idea what AI is doing, I simply can’t trust it. Reality : AI has become more transparent than ever now.
In earlier days, artificial intelligence was referred to as a ‘mysterious magical box’ that
consisted of mind boggling algorithms hardly understandable by the mundane human mind. But with growing times, this concept has matured to provide insights to the humans that not only solves its purpose but also gains a certain level of trust by being more transparent. The vendors in today’s time realise how essential transparency is to the user and at the same time should not be overwhelming. Many AI systems in today’s time provide softwares that make it easier to understand their workings and gain more visibility than ever before.
Myth 4 : Companies don’t need an AI strategy in today’s age.
Reality : Oh, but you do. More than ever, now.
There is no doubt in all of our minds that AI is the next big thing. In fact, it is predicted
that in the next decade, there will not be a single organisation that does not directly or indirectly deal with artificial intelligence. Keeping this in mind, it is extremely important for a company, regardless of its size, to understand and plan how they are going to use AI in their organisation. While market changes are taking place everyday, it is simply not enough to use AI solely because it is generating a buzz in the market. There will always be a certain amount of risk that is carried venturing ahead with AI and the returns might not always be favourable. But with a proper research and strategy in place, the returns can be much more fruitful than expected.
Myth 5 : AI is an unnecessary expense during the COVID pandemic.
Reality : You can’t be more far from the truth.
In the mindset of the millennials, AI is an unwanted expense that is emptying the pockets when organisations are struggling to generate revenues and make ends meet. Indeed the COVID pandemic has hit every organisation hard, but not so hard that we forget how rationally incorrect that statement stands. As especially during the pandemic, AI has blasted this misconception by improving the quality of work and generate serious revenues as well. It has severely refined the customer interactions as well as upgraded the result of analysing data, while providing timely alerts about upcoming market trends which has helped in enhancing the process of decision making.