GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Science and Technology
Source: BBC
Context: Key figures in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), including Twitter’s Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have signed an open letter calling for a suspension of the training of powerful AI systems
What are the dangers of developing super-intelligent AI?
| Dangers from AI | Examples |
| Risks to Human safety | AI-powered Autonomous weapons systems that can make decisions without human intervention may lead to accidents, harm or death to civilians and military personnel. |
| Job displacement and unemployment | AI automation in industries such as marketing, manufacturing, law, accounting and healthcare may lead to job losses. Vulnerable sections and minorities are especially vulnerable to it. |
| Social manipulation | E.g., Social media platforms like TikTok rely on AI to saturate a user’s feed with content related to previous media they’ve viewed, making it easier to create an echo-chamber of manipulation. |
| Social surveillance | Governments and police may use facial recognition technology to track a person’s movements and gather data on their activities, relationships, and political views. |
| Biases | AI may be developed by humans who are inherently biased, leading to data and algorithmic bias that can amplify each other |
| Existential risks | E.g., scenarios where AI surpasses human intelligence, gains autonomy, and seeks to protect itself, potentially leading to conflicts with humans. |
However, AI is also needed for solving the biggest challenges we face
| Problem | How AI can help | Example/Fact |
| Climate Change | AI can help reduce energy consumption, improve renewable energy, and monitor and predict climate patterns. | Google’s DeepMind AI has reduced energy consumption at their data centres by 15%. |
| Disease Detection and Treatment | AI can help identify diseases and develop treatments faster, improving patient outcomes. | AI algorithms have been developed to detect breast cancer with greater accuracy than human radiologists. |
| Hunger and Food Security | AI can help optimize farming practices, improve crop yields, and reduce food waste. | The use of AI in precision agriculture has been shown to increase crop yields by up to 30%. |
| Poverty | AI can help improve access to education and job opportunities for underserved communities. | AI-powered chatbots are being used to provide education and job training to refugees in Lebanon. |
| Natural Disasters | AI can help predict and respond to natural disasters, reducing their impact on human life and infrastructure. | IBM’s Watson is being used to analyze data to predict the path of hurricanes, helping communities to prepare and evacuate in advance. |
What should be done?
- Risk analysis: The open letter argues that AI labs should halt the training of AI systems that are more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months to ensure that these risks are appropriately addressed.
- Development of new regulatory authorities dedicated to AI: It will ensure that the technology is developed in a way that benefits society and avoids catastrophic outcomes
Conclusion:
AI has the potential to help solve many of the world’s problems, but it’s not a silver bullet solution and must be implemented responsibly and ethically.
Insta Links
Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Prelims Link:
- With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following?
- Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units.
- Create meaningful short stories and songs.
- Disease diagnosis.
- Text-to-Speech Conversion.
- Wireless transmission of electrical energy.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Answer: d
