The Siren Call of Using Artificial Intelligence

 Matthew Feroz

Professor Horgan

3/20/24

The Siren Call of Using Artificial Intelligence

            Every time I look through the black void of my powered-off computer monitor, I question whether it’s worth using the computer at all. The computer is a Pandora’s box. It contains vast insurmountable amounts of data that could swathe the entire world, albeit the universe, in its ceaselessness. A computer can be the vessel for one to commit unspeakable crimes with the swipe of a keystroke. It’s even powerful enough to rewire the very delicate symphony of a developing human brain. I try to not think about these things when I use a computer. I don’t think most people do either. To most, a computer is a mere tool, it cannot think, it’s just another piece of technology like that of a fork or shovel. I need a fork to eat or else I’ll make a mess all over myself. I don’t think about how the fork has impacted society or changed the human jaw to require less strength. I eat my dinner with it and that’s all.

This is the same case for artificial intelligence. It’s just a funnel. It is a funnel that concentrates the strength of the computer directly into the palm of a user’s hand by sequencing data in a preprogrammed manner. “Attention Is All You Need” is the paper that stitched this funnel right into the heart of the computer. This paper details a tool called a transformer model which has the power to handle sequential data in a highly efficient manner. Think of this paper as the architecture for every subsequent model of machine learning ever made. It’s the fish taking the first breath of oxygen. It is not the first but one of the biggest steps in artificial intelligence’s evolution and all it does is funnel information based on priority.

AI still seems much scarier than a funnel though, perhaps I’m putting it too matter of fact. Don’t fret though, it’s still impossible to match the emotions, creativity, and ethics of a human being. Progress in this field of AI displaying human reasoning has been called “exceedingly slow” by experts such as Bernd Stahl, a professor of Critical Research in Technology who holds a master’s in philosophy, economics, industrial engineering, and business law as well as a Ph.D. in information systems. He further explains that what AI excels at is optimizing processes, solving complex problems within milliseconds, and analyzing patterns in vast datasets that would be humanly impossible to discern. This optimization is seen especially in the field of environmental engineering, where researchers can predict climate patterns and assess the health of ecosystems through AI.

So yes, maybe AI can optimize how we do everything. It can make a difference in creating a carbon-neutral world because a funnel works quite well with a sieve to pull out the muck and excess fat from a concoction. However, utilizing AI in any way beckons us to consider the ethical implications of its use. The very efficiency that makes AI such a powerful tool also renders it an instrument for surveillance, manipulation, and control of a population as a funnel can be an instrument used for evil too.  As AI systems become more integrated into daily life, the potential for these systems to influence human behavior, decision-making, and societal norms continues to grow even more than a user at a computer can do. As we ponder the siren call of using artificial intelligence, let us heed the lessons of history and proceed with a vision that places AI as a mere tool rather than the end or the beginning of humanity.

 

 

Work Cited

1)      Stahl BC. Ethical Issues of AI. Artificial Intelligence for a Better Future. 2021 Mar 18:35–53. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-69978-9_4. PMCID: PMC7968615.

2)      “Interview with Professor Bernd Carsten Stahl | Net Zero Digital.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Mar. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGIIEEymw7A.

 

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