Our brain, formed of neuronal networks, functions as an analog device. However, AI based on artificial neural networks functions in a digital format. This fundamental difference is a reason for the enormous abilities of the human brain and is also a reason enough to believe that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can never go beyond human intelligence.
It was announced in the budget, ten days back, that three excellence centres in AI and a hundred labs for developing 5G services in the engineering institutes would be set up. A great step in the country’s digital push, for our physical world is full of digital technologies such as driver less vehicles, 3D printers, drones and such others. Even more innovative applications than ChatGPT, an AI based Chatbot that does almost anything in the learning space, will evolve in future. The world is becoming smart. Smart cities, smart healthcare, smart watches, smart TV, smart food, smart gym, smart learning and smart everything. Predictive Analysis based on Machine learning will make the future learning experience truly amazing.
Is this good in the long term for the human race? Our native analog intelligence seems to have been hijacked by an artificial digital ecosystem. Human intelligence is complex cognitive feats with high levels of motivation and self-awareness. It allows us to learn from concepts, understand, apply logic and reason, recognize patterns, comprehend ideas, plan, solve problems, make decisions, retain information, and use language to communicate. AI can only mimic some of it.
Internet of Things (IoT) recreates the human ecosystem, connecting the physical devices that communicate and identify with each other over the internet. 5G or the fifth-generation cellular network that supports much larger bandwidths is the new vehicle. Algorithms then navigate through the maze of data from the IoT objects and create intelligent patterns that help us take decisions. Will the great strides in AI also exhibit human emotions like love and hate? Can AI become intentionally benevolent or malevolent? Our civilisation is a product of intelligence. Superimposing AI on it rather than making AI go solo, must be the priority.
The Government rightly is investing a lot in Digital Transformation. The first wave of digitisation included computing, broadband and mobile telephony networks. It helped the traditional sectors of the economy and service industries like financial services, education, health care, etc to grow more rapidly. Further, it improved the manufacturing sector. This has had an impact on the growth of household income, and the facilitation of social inclusion, access to information, government services, and entertainment content.
The second wave led to the introduction of new services and applications such as Internet information searches, electronic commerce, distance education and a whole range of collaborative businesses that characterize the digital economy with companies like Uber, Airbnb, etc. This ‘innovation effect’ yielded enhanced demand for labour in certain occupations linked to the development of digital services. However, the emergence of collaborative business models, have seen the disappearance of repetitive low and middle‐skilled jobs resulting from task automation.
The third wave of ‘Smart World’ supported by AI and IoT would certainly improve productivity across sectors. It would also improve the delivery of public services. However, there could be disruptive labour effects with the industry transforming into a completely automated remote handled entity. The low-end jobs could dry up with required skill levels of available jobs rising. A 2013 Oxford University study suggests that almost 50% jobs could be at risk of automation by 2033 with workers in counties facing higher levels of automation risk, more frequent levels of physical and mental distress.
Be that as it may, the world is witness to and knows that a high level of technology and complexity, seldom adds to the number of jobs that employ the masses. Hence human aspect becomes important when digital technologies connect different entities, stakeholders, goals, processes and information resources. Digitization of processes, deployment of digital solutions, strategic-cultural shifts, moving to more customer-centric and integrated approaches have a transformational impact and must be factored to get the human element on board.
The Government while pursuing a digital push must lay stress on educating and bringing people around. Digitization is not dehumanization. However, without a strong involvement of both the government and the people, without taking the human element into account, digital projects often tend to fail.