Robots, they are finally taking over the world!… kinda. Artificial intelligence (AI), though having been around for quite some time now, has found its way back into headlines around the world; this time, because of groundbreaking technology that allows people to recreate images of themselves seemingly out of thin air, or whatever is in our computers.
While some people are embracing the ability to clone themselves digitally, others are a bit worried that it may get out of hand. The ongoing discussion around AI and public safety leads me to ask the question, is AI truly a good thing, or will it be the reason that world war three begins?
On one hand, AI helps to move our society forward through various technological, medicinal and lifestyle improvements. AI is the driving force behind tons of new technology such as Chat GPT and self-driving cars. It has also assisted in the medical field, providing diagnosis and treatment plans, as well as identifying potential health risks in patients. And even in our way of life, AI now has the capability to create videos and images that can be used in content creation, as profile pictures or simply for our amusement. This is where the real issue comes about.
AI provides us with the opportunity to make people say what they didn’t and look how they don’t. With it, we can make the prime minister declare war on another country or make Joe Biden dress up in a tutu. We could fake our LinkedIn display picture and completely change our body images in videos. And with this type of power available to anyone with access to the internet, who knows what damage could be done?
Do you see the issue there?
In the right hands, AI will continue to help us become a more modern, technologically advanced society. It will continue to change the way we move, play, and live in general. However, in the wrong hands, AI has the power to destroy our society as we know it.
So what do I think? Is AI a good or a bad thing?
Once rules and regulations are established to monitor the creation and use of AI generated content, AI will be as safe as possible for general use. At that point, I can comfortably say that AI is a good thing. However, at this current moment, with little to no regulation on the use of this groundbreaking technology, we are one picture or video away from world war three.
