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Blog #10: In the age of AI

     


 What is artificial intelligence you may ask? AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions.  After watching the documentary about Artificial Intelligence, I learned an incredible amount of information that I had not known previously. AI is rapidly transforming our world in the most unthinkable ways.  

    Behavior, personal thoughts, friends, interests, etc. are some of the many things that AI can determine about you in order to customize things such as advertisements, social media posts, and search suggestions. Furthermore, AI is tracking pretty much everything we do on the internet. Whether that be on our phones, computers, iPads, even smart watches. What is shocking about all of this is that most of the time we do not even know it is happening! Not only does artificial intelligence have the ability to track our data and personal information based upon things we are physically doing on our technology, but it is listening to what we are saying out loud as well. 

    Have you ever noticed that if you are sitting and talking whether that be out loud or with friends, that the topics of discussion will then later show up on your social media feeds? Creepily enough, that is all thanks to Artificial Intelligence. This is shown a lot through devices such as the Amazon Alexa,  Google Home, Echo Dot, the list goes on. 

        Alexa is always listening and gathering data on every single word you say. Also, if you have your Alexa connected to any of your other accounts then that data will be transferred to everything else. New York Times wrote an article about this entitled, "Amazon's Alexa Never Stops Listening to You. Should You Worry?" This article discusses the phenomenon behind Artificial Intelligence and how Alexa is constantly studying its users. 

    While there are many creepy and downsides to AI, there are also many benefits that are positively influencing the world. Firstly, it completely diminishes the issue of human error. It is very likely for a human to make mistakes but with the correct programming, a computer is way less likely to do so. It also facilitates faster decision making. We are able to find the direct answers to our questions in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, there is 24/7 accessibility and availability, opposed to a human operator where there are designated business hours in which you can get in contact with someone. 

    Overall, Artificial Intelligence presents both positive and negative contributions to society today. However, as technology continues to advance we have to remember that this still is a human run world and we cannot allow computers to take away the emotion aspect of our lives. 

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