In this blog post, we will take a multifaceted look at the possibility that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence could lead to job losses and safety threats for humans.
In 2016, Google’s DeepMind developed AlphaGo, which went on to compete against Lee Sedol, a 9th dan Go player. This was not the first time humans and AI had faced off against each other. In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue defeated the world chess champion. However, while the number of possible moves in chess is 10 to the power of 120, the number of possible moves in Go is 10 to the power of 170. For this reason, many people predicted Lee’s victory. However, AlphaGo broke the existing mold of Go and defeated Lee with a score of 4 wins and 1 loss, proving that AI can beat humans at Go. This match caused a huge stir not only in the Go world but also in society as a whole. The news media reported on AlphaGo’s victory every day, and people began to take notice of developments in AI.
As people became aware of the development of AI, they soon began to feel a sense of fear. People were frightened by the amazing performance of AI. There are two reasons why people fear AI. The first is that AI, which is far superior to us, may take our jobs, and the second is that AI may attack us. Both reasons stem from the recognition that AI is superior to humans and the fear that this superiority will bring. Let’s look at the first reason first.
Pessimists argue that as AI advances, our jobs will disappear, leading to social and economic crises. In fact, based on data from 2013, a study by Osborne and Frey in the UK predicted that half of all office jobs will be replaced by AI within 20 years. This includes telemarketers, computer data entry clerks, legal assistants, accountants, ticket inspectors, accountants, insurance agents, and librarians. Jobs threatened by AI include not only simple labor jobs but also professional jobs. This trend is particularly noticeable in the medical field. AI that automatically presents prescriptions after entering patient medical information is actively used and is also showing great results in the field of diagnostic medicine. IBM’s Watson is a representative example of AI used in the field of diagnostic medicine. Currently undergoing practical training at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Watson analyzed the records of 1,000 patients treated by oncologists and found treatment methods that the oncologists had missed in one-third of the cases. In addition, Watson has treated over 100 cancer patients at Gil Hospital in Incheon, Korea. When the opinions of specialists and Watson differed, most patients chose Watson’s opinion, showing that even professionals such as doctors cannot escape the threat of AI.
The second reason people fear AI is because they think it might attack us. This fear stems from movies and novels. In the Terminator movie series, there is an AI called Skynet. When humans tried to stop it because they feared it, Skynet recognized humans as enemies and attacked them. As AI technology advances, the possibility that these movie plots could become reality causes even greater fear among the general public. The biggest supporter of AI research is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a military research agency under the Pentagon, and killer robots are rapidly becoming a reality. Experts believe that as the AI industry develops, its use in the military industry will also increase. Considering this, the opinion that AI will threaten our safety and dominate us is not entirely unconvincing.
The development of AI must be approached on a completely different level from the development of other technologies. Unlike other technologies, which can be stopped immediately by halting research, once AI is developed, it will continue to study and improve itself. Unlike other technologies, there is a high possibility that it will escape our control. Therefore, we must be extremely cautious about the development of AI. We must consider all possible risks and proceed with careful development. In addition, we must disclose the status of AI research and development in order to reduce public fear. If we prepare adequately for the future in this way, we will be able to minimize the negative effects of AI and maximize its benefits.
