What makes AI tools so powerful
Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It is being used by almost every industry that the world has to offer because of its range of capabilities. Organizations and sectors have benefitted in several ways, making AI tools extremely powerful resources.
It largely works by using machine-learning technologies. Many have used these tools to help get them ahead. Businesses have been able to use AI to capture and analyze large data sets in seconds, allowing them to make informed decisions based on knowledge and insights.
It’s not just businesses that have been able to use them. Individuals and users who work in creative fields have been able to use these tools to help them. Content creators have used tools like those available at https://ltx.studio/ to power up what they produce and create authentic, realistic shots without needing to go out and capture them for themselves. Additionally, using AI has streamlined the processes that are gone through, making things more efficient.
Writers have been able to use tools like ChatGPT to help with article generation and the forming and planning of ideas, helping them save time and come up with ideas that can help them create new angles that may not initially have been thought of.
But, what has been making these tools so powerful? Have they become too powerful?
The technology behind AI tools making them powerful
According to Accenture, AI is impossible to ignore or get away from. Findings that they have uncovered suggest that business leaders are looking to adopt the technology and use it as much as possible in the future because of its capabilities.
Given its growth and importance, their AI: Built to Scale report had found that 84% of executives believed that their businesses needed to use AI to help them achieve their growth objectives to reach their goals. However, at the same time, the same findings also highlighted that just over three-quarters of those surveyed (76%) have admitted to finding it difficult to scale AI across their business because of its vastness.
Indeed, this could be due to the technologies used to enable AI to become extremely powerful. As the same report put it, the technology “is a constellation of many different technologies working together to enable machines to sense, comprehend, act, and learn with human-like levels of intelligence.” It’s why there are so many who don’t quite know what to make of the tech or know how to handle it.
With so many different technologies being used, AI can typically come in two forms:
- Narrow (weak) AI
- General (strong) AI
Narrow AI is perhaps how many will recognize AI as it is related to singular activities that can be experienced daily. For instance, checking the weather app on a smartphone is a form of narrow AI, as are using digital assistants. This is because they focus on a single task based on increasing efficiencies.
General AI is highlighted as being the type of AI that is used in large-scale operations. For instance, computer-generated images (CGI) in films can be considered a use of General AI, as it is more complex and machines are used to emulate human intelligence to complete the tasks required.
Have AI tools become too powerful?
While AI tools have provided several benefits to their users, it is possible to ask the question about their power. Have they become too powerful?
Some have suggested that they may have. An article produced before AI tools arguably reached the height that they have today (although they are likely to reach new heights because of the machine-learning technologies involved) suggests that they could have been dangerous to humans.
We’ve already seen a fallout regarding content creation and AI tools. For instance, writers have been penalized due to the rise of GPTs like ChatGPT. Many companies have decided to use these programs as they can be quicker and cheaper, despite not being of the same type of quality a human can produce or necessarily factually accurate. Nonetheless, with the continued development of the tools due to their learning capabilities, this can make things a scary time for individuals.
Additionally, though we won’t get into it too much here, many AI tools have been trained on information that they did not have permission to use, such as photographs, artwork, and written works, This adds a complex ethics discussion around the use of AI in certain instances.
In addition, there can be an overreliance on these tools because of what they can achieve. With efficiency often being something that is highly desirable, especially when time equals money for so many, these tools have become the go-to for so many. However, things like AI bias aren’t accounted for, which can harm a user. As the tech is based on learning from past patterns, trends, and information, a level of bias can be experienced. AI can easily give completely false information! This may not always be in the best interest of the user, which could create an issue when used.
Should caution be adopted when using AI tools?
Given the strength of AI tools have today, and the increase they are likely to experience in the future, as well as AI bias and the fact that it can produce false information, and ethics questions, it’s important to air a level of caution when using them.
Although using AI has several benefits, such as improving efficiency and streamlining other processes, it’s worth bearing in mind that they should still be used with human collaboration. They can be prone to mistakes, such as incorporating a level of bias or using old data to learn from.