When a new technology comes around, especially one we struggle to understand, there's always a bit of hand wringing and doom predicting.
How many of us remember the introduction of the compact disc? Predictions of the ruination of the music, health problems from its aggressively harsh sound, and conspiracy theories abounded.
Or automated trains like London's Docklands Light Railway (DLR) that opened in the early 1980s. There were a number of people that wouldn't consider getting on to a robot train. Today, anyone traveling through an airport is likely to hop on an automated train without the blink of an eye.
Or something as simple as a calculator. I remember my parent's head shaking and finger wagging at my use of a mathematical crutch (though the odd thing was my father would have been ok with me learning to use a slide rule).
And now we come to artificial intelligence where the cycle repeats itself once again: technological apprehension followed by integration and acceptance.
On the dark side we're concerned about everything from job loss, Cambridge Analytica scandals, students not doing their homework, to robots invading Earth.
On the flip side, AI promises groundbreaking benefits: early disease detection, sustainable smart cities, and disaster prediction that could save lives. It's filling gaps where human abilities fall short.
What's the old saying about every dark cloud having a silver lining?
If more great music and song lyrics begin popping up, would you like them less if the musician had used AI to write them? Would you find this post more readable if I hadn't used a spell checker? Does your stereo sound different when you adjust its gain with a remote control rather than turning a knob with your hand?
We're worried about a loss of control when, as I see it, we should be learning how to increase our control in an effort to produce better outcomes through the use of technology.
Shooting in the dark might offer a thrill when you hit something, but figuring out how to light up the field will offer consistently better results.
