New Technology's Social Or Ethical Implications Writing Assignment

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Artificial Intelligence: Social and Ethical Issues
Introduction
Leading technology giants such as Google, IBM and Apple have designed a plethora of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions ranging from autonomous cars to mobile device applications such as SIRI. First depicted in sci-fi films, the area of AI has rapidly advanced to include human-like robots, advanced search algorithms such as Google search,IBM’s Watson, and autonomous weapons (Future of Life Institute).In the movie Ex-Machina (2014), a robot (Ava) is tested to determine its abilities to be self-aware and it turns out that it is even more conscious than anticipated. Recently, Hanson Robotics’ Sophia was awarded the Saudi Arabia citizenship, making her the first robot to earn such an achievement. While today’s AI designs are capable of carrying out simple tasks such as facial recognition, the ongoing research is centered on creating robust systems capable of outperforming humans in the future. The potentials of AI are not only promising to make like easier for humans, but also worrying and controversial to even world’s tech entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Bill Gates, Microsoft’s co-founder, and Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla (Bogot). Differing opinions about the future of AI is a depiction that the technology raises important social and ethical issues such as the irresponsible use of AI and possible harm that might ensue when robots gain human-like consciousness.
Background to Artificial Intelligence
The term artificial intelligence came into being in 1956 when John McCarthy proposed the creation of systems that could augment human cognitive (University of Washington). What distinguishes humans to others is the degree of intelligence which has been instrumental in the establishment of human civilization. AI has the intention of creating intelligent entities and be in a position to understand them fully. The entities which are created are supposed to be interesting and resourceful. Currently, it is still not clear what the future holds, although it is the wish of the innovators in technology to come up with computers that are intelligent, so that they can have a major impact on the future civilization (Future of Life Institute). To be precise, that is the reason most of the manufacturing companies are using robotics in their car assembly plants.
Social and Ethical Issues Surrounding AI
The key intention of AI is developing of systems that will augment human intelligence instead of replacing it. The systems should be in a position to scale and enhance human skills and expertise. Hand in hand with AI, there is technology referred to as cognitive computing, where machines are able learn, reason and make decisions, speak, see and further process technologies, and other human interface technologies (Rossi). The express purpose is to boost productivity of any going concern. However, there are some ethical considerations in the establishment of AI technology. AI systems have the capability to predict the weather, treat diseases, and in some cases, manage the economy of the world. For societal benefits to be achieved, t...