If you have ever watched the movie the Minority Report, then you know that when society relies solely on technology, it will always fail. While that movie was a work of fiction, our reality is not that far off.
Using A.I. to Track Crime
A.I. can also determine your propensity to shoplift based on your credit history. The credit score is one of the essential factors in getting a loan. Banks and lending institutions use it to determine the likelihood of you paying back what you borrow (and how much interest they should charge). As a result, it is impossible to “opt out” of having a credit score in this day and age. For example, if someone has never paid off their debt and has no other loans or cards open, it will be harder for them to qualify for a mortgage or car loan due to a low credit score. The A.I. reading all of this information will tag the individual as being more likely to steal as a result.
A.I. as Population Control
A.I.’s potential spans the political spectrum, too; it’s a boon for repressive regimes and the people they oppress, but it may also help citizens fight back against them. In China, where the government has used A.I. to censor information that might threaten its grip on power, drones are being used to monitor public areas like parks and neighborhoods. Drones then send those images back to government agencies for analysis and possible action against individuals suspected of wrongdoing.
This technology isn’t just used in authoritarian states or communist countries. The U.S., too, uses drones in surveillance programs all across America and along the borders. While some politicians have spoken out against these practices as an overreach by unelected bureaucrats, others see opportunities in these developments rather than threats. “If we don’t take advantage of this technology,” one said recently at an event hosted by Axios’ Mike Allen at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, “we lose out economically.”
The Dangers of Removing The Human Touch
A.I. has the potential to change how we live and work forever. We’ve already seen this happen with self-driving cars; now imagine if you could have an intelligent assistant that helps drive your car while you’re away from home. Or what about being able to access information instantly via AIs instead of waiting on hold for customer service reps? Of course, there are some risks associated with AI technology—but these dangers pale in comparison to what could happen if we don’t start thinking about them now before things get out of hand.