The rise of artificial intelligence is the industrial revolution of our times. Revolutions, by definition, upend existing norms, and novelty breeds fear. With every promise a transformative technology holds for improving society, comes the specter of the worst-case scenario. Will the robots wreak havoc and take over the world? Will they become so intelligent that they’re no longer under human control, or used to start wars and breed anarchy?
The short answer is: Certainly not with the technology we have today or what we can build in the foreseeable future. The longer one is more complex, but the nuance is critical for the long-term promise of A.I. to make lasting, positive impact across industries and our lives. There is undoubtedly a need for caution and vigilance when it comes to something this transformative. All revolutionary inventions need guardrails to ensure they help rather than hurt us–like the literal guardrails with high voltage warnings on train tracks. But contrary to those painting the bleakest picture of how A.I. might harm rather than help, there’s little evidence right now that the machine apocalypse is nigh. And its benefits will be increasingly obvious as this technology becomes universal in business and daily life.
