Unraveling the Dominance of Artificial Intelligence

“ChatGPT, write me an essay about…,” says the average high schooler student.  Voice assistants. Essay writers. Chatbots. A blessing… or a curse? 

The stronghold artificial intelligence (AI) has on modern society is undoubtedly vast: ChatGPT, Bing, Google, and the list goes on. "In fact, 97% of mobile users are using AI-powered voice assistants. Intelligent enough, these masters in the depths of knowledge have started to take over various tasks, whether it be the simple task of answering a common search engine question or the complex task of maneuvering vehicles. In fact, artificial Intelligence can predict earthquakes, volcanoes, and many other natural disasters -- who would’ve thought that predicting the future was right there, magically in our hands?

More recently, as of 2023, large corporations such as Bing or Apple have begun their journey in incorporating AI into their spheres. What a companion AI can be, always by your side at any moment you need assistance. However, as AI continues to advance at a fast pace, many questions arise about its potential consequences. And that is what remains up to interpretation: the dual nature of AI must be considered, weighing its benefits against its potential drawbacks.

Indeed, artificial intelligence seems to have captured the world’s imagination, altering the digital landscape in ways we have yet to imagine. In fact, the technology is rapidly progressing. Many chatbots, such as ChatGPT, for example, are built on generative artificial intelligence technologies that utilize a vast database to create a set of algorithms that instantly generate content. 

Nevertheless, the wide application of AI to many different fields is what makes it quite significant. For example, AI is greatly being used in healthcare to improve patient care through different applications such as drug discovery, personalized treatment plans, imaging analysis, or even disease diagnosis. Prior to AI, modern patients were frustrated by broken healthcare experiences that were non-digital, requiring a lot of time, and involving much effort. But now, AI is faster than ever to assist doctors with all of their needs. For marketing and sales, even, AI has been instrumental in enhancing customer experience and driving sales.

Thus, AI has been a key to providing a rise in many different businesses, enabling humans to pair their hearts and emotions with the mind and practicality of AI. There are many notable benefits AI offers to various domains:

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1. Improved Efficiency: AI systems process large amounts of data very quickly, which allows various industries to efficiently synthesize and interpret information. 

2. Innovation: AI has the capability to react to patterns and establish conclusions, enabling discoveries or solutions to be made. For example, for cancer research, AI has the potential for drug discovery by identifying intricate patterns in medical data.

3. Cost Savings: AI has already driven up sales and revenue for many businesses and industries, reducing labor costs and improving resource allocation. 

4. Environmental Impact: Though technology today is thought of as having many harmful effects on the planet, it may just be the opposite! AI can reduce energy consumption and improve environmental monitoring. It can increase the efficiency of renewable sources.

5. Customer Support: Chatbots that run 24/7 can undoubtedly help with customer service, improving the satisfaction of customers.

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Without a doubt, such benefits of artificial intelligence are a blessing to have. The stronghold AI has on many industries due to its achievements in efficiency is what makes AI so popular -- without it, many businesses would not have reached to the point they are today.

However… a curse? With every innovation or advancement in society comes a price to pay. There is something that many critics point out -- if AI starts taking up most of the modern tasks, will humans even have a role? There are three main consequences that critics reasonably believe are directly related to artificial intelligence, regardless of its benefits: job displacements, security risks, and ethical dilemmas. 

AI has indeed led many workers to lose their jobs due to how quickly and efficiently the technology can process information. More than humans, AI technology excels in performing repetitive tasks, which is why, according to the World Economic Forum’s “The Future of Jobs Report 2020,” “AI is expected to replace 85 million jobs by 2025” worldwide. Specifically, jobs with “thinking” tasks are more likely to be replaced, such as law, business management, and finance roles.

AI systems also pose a threat to safety because they contain vast amounts of data, collecting it from various sources while also discreetly keeping your data. There are many risks of AI misusing data by gaining unauthorized access to personal information. Deepfakes are another aspect of AI that can put businesses at risk through fraud. Even worse, AI systems are quite vulnerable to misuse and can result in hacking or data breaches.

But most importantly, ethical dilemmas will continue to remain regarding artificial intelligence. Social interactions are vanishing due to AI systems becoming more prevalent in daily life. Who knows how many deepfakes or artificial technologies you have encountered? More than that, through AIs like ChatGPT, the cause for cheating has increased dramatically. Besides, nobody would want to complete a writing assignment if an AI can, right? Many critics also dislike how AI bias can take away the raw impact of human rights because, in sensitive areas like healthcare or law, humans should be the ones using their voices to make decisions rather than algorithms.

Nevertheless, such technology undoubtedly comes with both positive and negative implications for the future. Again, it’s a blessing and a curse. However, at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide how to utilize AI to your advantage… or not. After all, with a “Hey Siri,”  lies in your hands the responsibility to direct such a versatile, multipurpose technology to assist you. So go ahead, venture on the journey to learn more about the world, and finally discover what the press of a button can do for you.