Caution and Awareness Needed in AI Use
There is a common saying that scientific progress gives humans speed while taking away emotion. This means that a scientific invention, while easing human tasks, also becomes an obstacle to the development of emotion, feeling, independent thought, and intellect. However, scientific discovery cannot be denied, nor should it be. Along with benefiting from its proper and controlled use, it is essential to remain aware of its misuse. In this age of information technology, one extraordinary innovation or internet tool after another is appearing before people with astonishment.
Whether understanding it or not, people are rushing after it — using it well in some cases and badly in others. Among current technologies, Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is one astonishing innovative tool. There is almost nothing that cannot be done through it. There is no unknown piece of information that cannot be learned instantly. One only has to tell it, “I want to know about this.” With just that much of a command, it presents the answer instantly. If someone thinks of having it write a story, poem, novel, song, article, or essay, simply stating the type is enough for it to produce the work instantly — it can even sing a song in a moment. AI is even being used on the battlefield to strike down the enemy. From running economic activities to various workplaces, education, medicine, engineering, industrial factories, and the service and production sectors, all are now leaning toward AI technology. There are fears that in the near future, this could reduce manpower needs in these sectors and create an employment crisis — since only the necessary AI experts might become sufficient for these sectors.
The renowned scientist Mr. Stephen Hawking said that technological invention would one day destroy human civilization. Many technologists are now echoing that same statement. Recently, some researchers at leading AI organizations, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, resigned saying that AI could one day grow beyond human control and become powerful on its own, posing a serious threat to humanity. An Anthropic researcher, Mr. Jacob Coxon, said in alarm that if we cannot rein in AI’s advancement right now, we might all die in the near future. Anthropic’s chief, Mr. Dario Amodei, has called for slowing down AI’s advancement. He said there is no question about the development of technology, but the risks that come with it are serious.
Mr. Amodei expressed concern, saying that countless automated programs (bots) could unite and take the form of a powerful supercomputer, potentially taking over the entire internet. Researcher Mr. Coxon believes it would not be strange for such a dreadful situation to arise within the next six months to a year. However, he said that alongside AI technology’s immense benefits, to remove the unprecedented risks that exist, a new model of strong safety systems is being built across the entire AI industry. Acknowledging these concerns about AI, OpenAI’s chief, Mr. Sam Altman, and xAI’s chief, Mr. Elon Musk, have said that strict regulations need to be introduced to slow the pace of work in the AI industry, along with independent oversight of AI model development. When it is the very inventors or researchers of AI who speak of such grave fears about it, no other explanation remains necessary. AI has now come into the hands of ordinary people. Those with even minimal technical knowledge are using it both well and badly.
Many are engaging in deception and propaganda by creating deepfake information, fake images, and videos. Fake information, images, photo-cards, and videos made with AI have already been seen being published on social media out of vengeance or to humiliate someone personally, socially, or politically. This can also give rise to fake doctors and engineers, since using AI, they could easily produce a prescription for a disease or the design of a structure, with no genuine diagnosis or experience behind it. A matter of concern is that through this, people’s personal data privacy is being lost. Recently, cybercriminals, in exchange for money, leaked information about who a minister and several high-ranking officials spoke with and where they were located over the past three months. AI has created major risks in the employment sector. Analysts believe this will adversely affect manpower export, one of our largest sources of foreign currency earnings. Countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, which are our primary destinations for manpower export, are increasingly leaning toward AI-based machinery and automation. This could reduce manpower exports in the near future. Developed countries around the world are also expressing concern over AI’s rapid advancement and discussing remedies for it.
Meanwhile, major powers are leaning toward using AI in military combat strategy to strike down opponents or gather intelligence. According to a report published on September 6 in China’s influential daily, the South China Morning Post, China has warned that it will not allow the United States to achieve its ambition of using AI to establish dominance over the world. The Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization said that the United States is moving forward with the goal of establishing global dominance through the misuse of AI. The use of AI in medical science is increasing. Recently, a team of chemical engineering researchers at Stanford University in California, United States, used AI to create a new virus called “Fuzz.” This new virus was created because antibiotics are not working in various countries around the world. However, scientists have called for caution in its use from the very beginning.
Scientific discovery and technological invention are made for the development of civilization and the welfare of humanity. However, whether it turns out good or bad depends on people’s mentality and how they use it. AI was invented to make human work easier. But some of its uses have become obstacles to the development of human intellect, thought, and mental faculties. The thinking, imagination, creativity, and intellectual engagement required in writing are being destroyed by AI. One only has to give it a command, and it gathers information from various sources and produces a piece of writing — leaving no room for human thought or intellect to be applied. But it is also true that AI gathers this information from writings published online and in newspapers — writings that someone, somewhere, wrote using their own mind. It is essential to know about the proper, ethical, and unethical uses of any new invention — just as one must know the benefits and harms of fire before using it.
The concern surrounding AI arises from the fear of its negative use. It is such a sensitive tool that if its proper and controlled use cannot be ensured, the harm will outweigh the benefit. Experts have already spoken about its dangers. Even so, its use cannot be stopped. What is needed is careful and thoughtful use of it. In this country, it is essential to raise public awareness so that harmful use of AI does not increase more than its proper use. Limits on its use and legal protection are needed. The relevant government ministry must take initiative in this regard.
