There has been a great deal of activity surrounding the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and while it may bring a wealth of knowledge and the ability to collate existing data at mind-numbing speeds, we unfortunately have also seen its application in the perpetration of fraud and other criminal activity.
A great place to start is with a clear understanding of what AI actually is, and even more importantly, what it is not.
Artificial Intelligence is defined as a branch of computer science that enables machines to simulate human cognition, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving and perception. There are two types of this technology known as “Narrow AI” and “General AI.” For the most part, what we have seen thus far are applications that fall within the Narrow AI realm — specialized tasks made possible through the vast and expedient collection and collation of pre-existing information and data.
This is how it generates everything from imagery to mechanical function with limited human intervention. It is not creating anything, but rather producing a desired outcome through the rapid processing of existing information.
Of course, this technology has some great applications, but as with any technology, it can be manipulated for both good and evil. That same technology that helps create amazing images and content has been weaponized to produce false, albeit convincing, images that can lure the unsuspecting into exploitation on various levels.
Everything from still images to videos, and even voice replication, is now possible, requiring each and every one of us to question what is before us. Unfortunately, our default when confronted with information must now be suspicion. It is no longer a matter of “trust but verify,” but rather “question and verify.”
Just as with any technology, it is to be mastered and not to master us. It can and should be utilized in areas where mechanical or data functions can be expedited. However, we cross a line when such technology is used to supplement human creativity or take the place of human interaction.
This technology, no matter its benefits, lacks human consciousness. It possesses no soul. It has no sense of morality. It is, and always will be, “artificial.”
I have had many advise me to utilize AI in the creation of my articles. That would be an insult to the gifts I have been given, and to those teachers who instilled in me the effective use and application of the English language.
While it may be easier or faster, the words would not be mine, and I have no tolerance for, nor temptation toward, anything but authenticity. Every week for almost two decades, I have sat in contemplation, many times struggling to find the right words as I craft my sentences and paragraphs.
Much like plastic surgery is to the body, so is Artificial Intelligence to the creative mind. It may look better, or even seem like an improvement on natural attributes, but in the end, it lacks the very things that make us unique.
I’ll take the struggle that comes with the process. I’ll take my perfect imperfections over a manufactured or manipulated existence.
I will strive for the application of the best type of A.I. — that being, Authentic Intelligence.
