Artificial intelligence (AI) computer systems have been designed to do tasks that humans would have done in the past. They can recognize patterns, learn from experience, and make decisions. There is still a gap between what AI actually is, and what many people believe it to be.
Many people think AI works like the human brain. This isn’t entirely true. While the systems are good at specific tasks, they don’t have general intelligence like humans. AI systems don’t really understand what they’re doing. A chess-playing AI might beat world champions, but it can't explain its strategy or use its chess knowledge to solve a different type of problem. An AI writing assistant doesn’t understand the meaning of the words behind the text it writes. Sometimes, AI makes mistakes that seem obvious to humans. Without genuine understanding or common sense, AI doesn’t have contextual awareness.
We are regularly warned that increased AI capabilities will lead to job losses. However, in the past, technology has changed the job market, rather than destroying it. AI is a useful tool but can’t entirely replace most jobs. While it’s great at handling routine, predictable tasks, many roles require distinctly human skills like emotional intelligence, creative problem-solving, and ethical judgment. Healthcare is a good example where AI can help radiologists identify issues in medical scans, but physicians still have to interpret results, communicate with the patients, and make decisions about their treatment.
Some believe AI systems are objective because they rely on data rather than human judgment. However, its training data can contain biases. This issue can by managed by using diverse datasets to train AI.
Science fiction has popularized the idea that super-intelligent AI systems can develop consciousness and control or harm humans. The fact is today's AI systems don’t have the agency, consciousness, or motivation needed to "take over." They don't have goals of their own. They’re simply tools designed to do specific tasks. The AI research community is also working on ways to make sure AI systems will still work to our benefit, even as they become more capable.
Almost everyone can understand the basic concepts behind AI. You don’t have to be an IT specialist. AI literacy is becoming increasingly important, especially if you want to get ahead in your career. You can read articles and books to educate yourself, and there are plenty of online courses available.
AI is a powerful technology with both significant benefits and limitations. By separating AI fact from fiction, we can appreciate its remarkable capabilities while acknowledging that we can’t replace human judgment, creativity and ethical reasoning. As AI continues to evolve, accurately understanding what it can and can’t do will help us use these tools more effectively.