Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a catch-all term that refers to computer software imitating human cognition with the aim of performing – and learning from – complex tasks.
Although we tend to think of AI as a futuristic and mysterious concept, AI technology has actually been part of our everyday lives for the best part of the 21st century. If you’ve ever streamed a show on Netflix, scrolled through recommended videos on your YouTube homepage, played online games against a computer, or interacted with Alexa and Siri, you’re using AI technology.
Recent news stories about AI have largely been negative, focusing on concerns around social issues such as potential job losses or identities being stolen and used for criminal activities. But AI can be a force for good if we use it responsibly.
Areas of development
Because technology has improved so rapidly in the past couple of decades, AI and its capabilities have also increased. Areas where AI is being used positively include:
- Healthcare and medical: AI tools are being developed all the time to fast-track patient diagnoses, which will ultimately save lives. For example, a team of researchers have recently trained an AI tool to accurately identify cancerous tumours in CT scans using machine learning. Similar technologies are emerging to detect early signs of dementia, predict heart attacks, and assist with drug discovery and development.
- Climate change: New research is investigating using AI to help model climate change, so we can forecast floods and other weather-related challenges. Researchers can use this knowledge to predict outcomes so we can make adaptations that could potentially prevent future climate disasters.
- Fintech (finance technology): The financial sector is making use of AI to predict changes in financial markets and to manage large amounts of data. Human error is a risk to financial markets and stocks; a mistake in predicting changes could wipe millions of pounds from companies and countries. AI has the ability to model and manage a much larger amount of data and discover patterns and changes in that data which are much more nuanced. AI also has the ability to discover changes and patterns and predict changes that current methods are unable to. Therefore, using AI in this way can help grow economies and stocks and industries more efficiently, and with better growth patterns.
- Cyber resilience: Cybercrime is on the rise, and both individuals and companies are being targeted. In another example of machine learning, AI tools can be used to help fight cyber-attacks through automated threat detection, by analysing patterns and anomalies in network behaviour. It aids in incident response by automating actions and providing decision support to cybersecurity teams. Additionally, AI facilitates proactive measures by predicting future threats based on vast datasets, assists in vulnerability management through automated scanning, and enables adaptive security measures that dynamically respond to evolving threats. This comprehensive approach enhances an organisation's ability to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber-attacks efficiently.
- Creative industries: When used well and without disadvantaging artists and creatives, AI technologies can support projects in the creative industries. A good example is the most recent instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise, ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, where AI technology was used to ‘de-age’ actor Harrison Ford in a flashback scene. This was much more effective than using a younger actor who bears a passing resemblance to Ford, as the scene felt more realistic to audiences.
Why do we fear AI?
Despite the multiple positive uses of AI, many people still fear it and what it could mean for our society’s future. Professor John Murray, Academic Dean of the Faculty of Technology here at Sunderland, explains “There’s a lot of worry and fear about AI and its future potential, or what it might do. I believe this stems from a number of places, such as dystopian science fiction movies, and a fear of the unknown. However, I think we should think more utopian, and how AI can benefit society.”
Indeed, although there are currently no solid examples of how AI could affect our lives, a combination of negative press coverage and AI-related pop culture (where often the message is ‘the robots are taking over’) means that people are very cautious about AI technologies becoming more prominent. AI researchers therefore work closely with psychologists to understand people’s fears and how to reassure them about new technology, and with law experts to ensure that AI is being used in a way to benefit, not harm us.
The future and human responsibility
‘The robots’ aren’t in charge; humans are responsible for coding and producing AI technologies, so we need to make sure anything we create is considered carefully and managed properly.
To that end, an interesting new area of law is developing, aiming to put regulations in place so that AI isn’t abused or created for the wrong reasons. And if any AI technology goes wrong, the people behind it will be the ones who will need to answer and fix it. This will hopefully reassure anyone who is worried that AI is something completely out of our control.
And it’s true that jobs will change – but, as was seen with the invention of the computer, more jobs will be created, not lost. As we enter the fifth industrial revolution, and we develop new applications of AI and new systems that use AI, more programmers and developers will be needed, while on the regulatory side, we’ll need more law experts to keep AI developers in check.
Remember, humans are resilient, and ultimately, the future of AI is up to us.
Published: 30 November 2023