Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in today’s digital age. Every day, there seems to be a new story of new developments or predictions about how the future will be different because of AI. Its capabilities are expanding at an exponential rate. It’s easy to understand why this leads to excitement and apprehension about the future, especially if you’re not one of those AI-wizzes. No worries! You don’t need a computer science degree to grasp AI. To understand what a future with AI might look like, it’s essential to be able to separate fact from fiction. So, what sets AI and humans apart? What are AI’s capabilities and limitations? This first article in the series “What exactly is AI?” will explore self-awareness, moral decision-making, empathy, internal desires, analysis, and consistency.
AI Lacks Self-Awareness
Unlike humans, AI lacks the ability to see itself as an independent being. Imagine a sophisticated mirror that only reflects the world around it, never its own image. That’s essentially how AI operates. A chatbot might respond to your “Hello!” with a chipper greeting, but this isn’t a sign of recognition. It’s simply following a script, programmed to react to specific phrases with pre-written responses. The chatbot doesn’t understand the concept of greetings or social norms, it just fulfills its programmed function. This is the crux of self-awareness – the ability to experience yourself as an entity separate from the world around you. AI may process information with incredible speed, but it lacks this crucial human quality.
AI Can't Make Moral Decisions
AI follows algorithms, not a moral compass. An algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions that define how to solve a problem or complete a task. In AI, algorithms enable computer programs to make intelligent decisions and solve problems. When faced with a decision, an AI doesn’t consider the moral implications of each option. Instead, it uses its programming to determine the most optimal solution based on predefined criteria. For instance, a self-driving car doesn’t ‘decide’ to stop at a red light because it’s the ‘right’ thing. It stops because its programming dictates that it should stop when it detects a red light.
AI Can't Feel Empathy
AI can simulate understanding through learned responses but doesn’t feel empathy. If a user expresses sadness, a chatbot might respond, “I’m sorry to hear that. How can I help you?” This response might seem empathetic, but it’s not. The chatbot doesn’t identify with or understand your thoughts, feelings, or emotional state. It’s merely responding to specific keywords in the user’s input with a pre-programmed response.
AI Doesn't Have Internal Desires
AI doesn’t have aspirations, dreams, or desires. It doesn’t ‘want’ to achieve its goals or ‘need’ to fulfill its tasks. However, the way an AI is programmed does reflect the intentions and desires of its programmer, not the AI itself. A movie recommendation algorithm doesn’t ‘want’ to suggest the best movies for you to watch. It doesn’t have a vested interest in your entertainment or happiness. It’s programmed to analyze your viewing history and recommend movies that align with your preferences. But these preferences and the goal of recommending movies that align with them are not the AI’s—they’re the programmer’s. The AI is merely a tool the programmer uses to achieve this goal. Any semblance of desire or aspiration is a reflection of the programmer’s goals, not the AI’s.
AI Excels In Analysis
AI is much more efficient than humans in data processing and analysis. For instance, a machine learning model can analyze vast amounts of data in a fraction of the time it would take a human. This isn’t because the AI understands the data better but because it’s designed to handle large datasets. AI excels at identifying patterns and connections within this data. It can sift through countless data points to find correlations and trends that might be missed by human analysts. Yet, the AI doesn’t know that it’s processing data. It executes its programming, which tells it to perform certain operations on the input data and produce a specific output.
AI Is Consistent
AI provides consistency that humans often struggle to achieve. For example, an AI-powered quality control system in a manufacturing plant can inspect thousands of products with the same level of precision every time. This consistency isn’t a result of the AI’s ‘dedication’ or ‘meticulousness.’ Instead, it’s a product of the AI’s programming, which instructs it to perform the same task in the same way, regardless of the number of times it’s performed. The AI doesn’t ‘realize’ that it’s maintaining consistency. It’s merely following its programming.
Navigating Unchartered Territory
Now that you’ve taken a step toward understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations, you know that AI shines in its ability to analyze and maintain consistency. It provides unprecedented levels of efficiency and precision. However, it lacks self-awareness, empathy, personal desires, and consciousness and operates within the confines of its programming. As AI technology advances, it will have more sophisticated simulations of moral decision-making. But it won’t have a proper understanding of morality. So, when interacting with a chatbot, remember that any perceived emotion or opinion reflects its programming, not a genuine human experience. We are in uncharted territory of co-existing with AI. As we look to the future, it’s essential to focus on facts instead of hype and treat each day as a fresh opportunity for learning and adaptation.
This article is part 1 of the series: What exactly is AI?
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My initiative Data Girl and Friends provides child-friendly videos and games to help explain complex concepts like AI and online safety. There is also a version of this article written for children!