AI, In My Opinion… Remember to Double-Check

The invasion of data centers is atop the list of hot-button topics in many Midwest communities these days. There is no denying that the insidious tentacles of artificial intelligence (AI) have stretched into nearly every aspect of our daily lives — work, school, shopping, the cars we drive, how we heat, cool and secure our homes, the manufacture of the products we use, travel — and it can all be controlled from that cell phone that we constantly hold in the palm of our hands.

But the concept of AI is not new.

During the summer of 1956, a meeting of academics in mathematics, engineering and logistics convened at Dartmouth College by researcher John McCarthy, whose hypothesis was that “every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it.” He dubbed this “artificial intelligence.” As I understand it, AI fundamentally uses mathematical rules and algorithms to process large amounts of data to identify patterns and make choices equivalent to human problem-solving.

I concede that AI demonstrates an ability to learn and mimic human problem-solving when applied to certain processes. However, I am at odds with McCarthy’s hypothesis that AI can learn “any other feature of intelligence.”

Unlike AI, human problem-solving is not singularly rooted in mathematics, but has a predilection toward life experiences from which character, wisdom and the ability to reason have been cultivated. Thus, I take pause and question whether AI is or will ever be capable of simulating self-awareness or having an open “mind.” Will it understand the essence of integrity and loyalty, be able to replicate acts of kindness, empathy and compassion, or comprehend aspects of courage, resilience or perseverance — human characteristics forged from relationships with other humans that we integrate into our human problem-solving and decision-making.

AI has already demonstrated potential benefits across a broad spectrum of our lives, but it has also demonstrated its flaws. How many job-worthy applicants have been eliminated from consideration by HR programs using AI? How many have been or will be hurt, mentally and physically, by enlisting AI chatbots to confide in or to diagnose an illness or injury? How many have fallen in a rabbit hole, devotedly chasing misinformation generated by AI?

In my opinion, we should be mindful and heed the warning that frequently appears at the end of an internet search: “AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses.”

Toni Piper lives cautiously with AI in Independence, Missouri.