AI: Expectations vs. Reality

10 June 2020

It is indeed part of the human nature to exaggerate, over-generalize, and soar through the roof with unrealistic expectations. Why? Well, no one can deny how much fun the imagination can bring. However, the main reason for this is the fact that people have always been looking forward to a world that is just “not the same” as the same old clichés surrounding our lives most often. For that particular reason, the up rise in technology has created such a fuss. The public focus was directed at the expected revolution many decades back, causing the public to create exaggerated, unrealistic expectations of what life would be like in the presence of modern technology, new inventions, and the greatly anticipated emergence of Artificial Intelligence. In turn, this drives one to think and compare the accuracy of these expectations and the degree to which they have been fulfilled over the years.

The expectations regarding Artificial Intelligence can all be summarized in the primal depictions of robots and machines in old movies and novels. For example, robots made their first appearance on the screen in the science fiction movie The Future Eve and the Wonderful World of Oz in the early 1900’s. Robots were to some extent expected to mimic human actions, enjoy the mind and critical thinking skills of humans, and to basically become “humans in disguise”. Old cartoons would also journey to a world where robots took care of the household and were competent enough to engage in high level conversations and make demands come true at the tap of a button, making the lamp of Aladdin fit much better into this stereotypical image than a robot. In fact, Artificial Intelligence was expected to surpass human capabilities so much so that people in later years began to fear the effects of AI.

Although some outlooks on Artificial Intelligence were unworldly, some have been already achieved or are still in the making for the near future. For instance, flying cars were a popular theme in cartoons and science fiction movies. In 2018, the first flying car was put into the test by leading car manufacturers and the word has it might be released into the markets by 2025. Other more down to earth accomplishments are AI readers, translators, spam filters, autopilots and drones. Smart tools have also been developed to prevent fraud and check deposits, search and recommend products for online purchase, not to mention the world of online smart social media applications that allow people to share special moments with loved ones thousands of miles away via the world class internet network.

Both the near and far future hold many discoveries and expectations that the public is still as excited about. For example, commuting is expected to become “smart” by eliminating human intervention in traffic and transportation media, all the while decreasing the margin of error and danger on the streets. Also, the development in the field of robots is expected to incline towards learning and student assistant; meaning that robots might become a helping aid for students in identifying and targeting weaknesses. In the field of finance, AI fund managers are expected to increase in popularity at a lower cost and a higher efficiency.

All in all, AI is expected to grow more into daily life routines in an unprecedented way. It is today an undeniably essential tool that facilitates life and gives us an extra nudge that helps save us time and effort at a relatively reasonable price, too. There is no doubt that AI has brought a rush of excitement and fast-paced achievement to the casual, mundane style of life.

 

References:

1.     https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/everyday-examples-of-ai/

2.     https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/just-how-smart-are-smart-machines/

3.     https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07504-9

It is indeed part of the human nature to exaggerate, over-generalize, and soar through the roof with unrealistic expectations. Why? Well, no one can deny how much fun the imagination can bring. However, the main reason for this is the fact that people have always been looking forward to a world that is just “not the same” as the same old clichés surrounding our lives most often. For that particular reason, the up rise in technology has created such a fuss. The public focus was directed at the expected revolution many decades back, causing the public to create exaggerated, unrealistic expectations of what life would be like in the presence of modern technology, new inventions, and the greatly anticipated emergence of Artificial Intelligence. In turn, this drives one to think and compare the accuracy of these expectations and the degree to which they have been fulfilled over the years.

The expectations regarding Artificial Intelligence can all be summarized in the primal depictions of robots and machines in old movies and novels. For example, robots made their first appearance on the screen in the science fiction movie The Future Eve and the Wonderful World of Oz in the early 1900’s. Robots were to some extent expected to mimic human actions, enjoy the mind and critical thinking skills of humans, and to basically become “humans in disguise”. Old cartoons would also journey to a world where robots took care of the household and were competent enough to engage in high level conversations and make demands come true at the tap of a button, making the lamp of Aladdin fit much better into this stereotypical image than a robot. In fact, Artificial Intelligence was expected to surpass human capabilities so much so that people in later years began to fear the effects of AI.

Although some outlooks on Artificial Intelligence were unworldly, some have been already achieved or are still in the making for the near future. For instance, flying cars were a popular theme in cartoons and science fiction movies. In 2018, the first flying car was put into the test by leading car manufacturers and the word has it might be released into the markets by 2025. Other more down to earth accomplishments are AI readers, translators, spam filters, autopilots and drones. Smart tools have also been developed to prevent fraud and check deposits, search and recommend products for online purchase, not to mention the world of online smart social media applications that allow people to share special moments with loved ones thousands of miles away via the world class internet network.

Both the near and far future hold many discoveries and expectations that the public is still as excited about. For example, commuting is expected to become “smart” by eliminating human intervention in traffic and transportation media, all the while decreasing the margin of error and danger on the streets. Also, the development in the field of robots is expected to incline towards learning and student assistant; meaning that robots might become a helping aid for students in identifying and targeting weaknesses. In the field of finance, AI fund managers are expected to increase in popularity at a lower cost and a higher efficiency.

All in all, AI is expected to grow more into daily life routines in an unprecedented way. It is today an undeniably essential tool that facilitates life and gives us an extra nudge that helps save us time and effort at a relatively reasonable price, too. There is no doubt that AI has brought a rush of excitement and fast-paced achievement to the casual, mundane style of life.

 

References:

1.     https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/everyday-examples-of-ai/

2.     https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/just-how-smart-are-smart-machines/

3.     https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07504-9