AI’s Raison D’être | AI’s Reason or Justification for Existence

There are a lot of conversations of disagreement and debates on AI Technology based products. It is aimed to outdo the manual human skills with ease. While aiming for cut on human resource investment cost. Of course, automation of work-related tasks would ease the burden on overworked Workforces; but it will also mean that they will be left beret of their jobs when AI takes over these menial jobs using mediocre brain power.

Everyone has at field’s play to cast a future with such dire outcomes that the populace looks with deep-seated terror. But then seriously when one tries to defend AI for taking over the world of minimal cerebral activities to replace thousands of workers – then maybe it is time to revisit our passions for what we truly believe in and to figure out what also happens to be our calling in life.

Open Page Carried an Article in the Sunday Magazine of The Hindu Daily

It explores “AI in the classroom” and Maithri Venkat, the writer of the article draws the reader’s concern for the student’s ability to think, explore, and create. Frequency of thinking, analyzing, and discovering subjects and topic, article fears that it would be reduced because of AI intrusion in education. Children who are exposed to smartphones and other electronic devices show loss in ability to remember small but vital facts.

Things like multiplication tables, organic tables, memorizing activities are shifted to devices and it is rare now for children to remember things instantly. The growing cases of ADHD and ADD in young children shows that technological intervention means that we need to forego the skills which their parents and grandparents had due to the teaching methods from the past.

Memorizing Is an Archaic Skill Almost Lost to Time

Our ancient text was only shared auditorily. Now we have printed a copy of the text. Back then, remembering long passages from scriptures was a given. But now, all refer to the printed copy. I am not sure if we still have ‘memorita passages’ of important roles from the Shakespearean plays. I had Julius Caesar for the state level public exam. Both Brutus and Antony’s speeches were memorized and reproduced.

I am reminded of Shakuntala Devi’s ability to calculate much faster than a calculator shows numerical skills and talent of a great Mathematician. Any day a human is much more valuable than any device that replicates a human activity. Man trying to be God of creation in creating a humanoid is trying to outdo and be error-free. I think that is too much to ask of anybody!

Every Innovation Meant Change Which Meant Skills Replaced

Each century brought with it innovation and with each came the prospect of fear of losing the old way of life. But then, change is the only constant in any life. Much as a caterpillar refuses to change, yet it becomes a butterfly eventually! Likewise looking at each innovation individually we can see that life and evolution changed with everything. May be the next level in the human life is to be the Superman as envisioned in plays and screenplays.

If one skill is given up for another, then there is a way to upscale to the next skill that would be learnt through immersion. The individual choice to be immersed in technology and to be in equal part to gain and to lose skills will become a given scenario. Naturally, there are many ways to find a new venue to nurture a particular skill. But sadly, once a particular level of practice is lost then a particular skill gets forgotten.

Rusty’s Memory or Rusty Memory!

Yes, Rusty needs to train on a regular basis for his memory to not become a rusty memory. Earlier children’s focus was to learn, memorize, and reproduce what they learnt. Now the higher level of drawing inference, coming to a final understanding, knowing the right route to execute is still in the able hands of the human being. Though AI may be able to do better in calculating and finding reference data, how it gets used for is still well within human realm.

We also need to understand that the skills belonging to past centuries and our pride are being converted into acquired skillsets of the future. The fear of losing specific skills may look like a giant octopus throttling our collective windpipe, if pollution doesn’t beat it. In many ways, I feel technological advancement is a brainchild of an innovator who would ruffle some social feathers of concern in its wake. But to remain unruffled is a choice and is our conscious choice.

In Our Defense All That We Could Say

The fact that social advancement is deemed to happen at every stage of the eras in past, present, and future. Whether it was inventing a wheel or a new technology that would dramatically change the lives of humans in the world, it all boils down to unprecedented change for social beings. Whether we accept it and find ways to use the tool for betterment is a choice taken by us.

So, AI may progress into the ultimate human being but what a human would like to do with such human is entirely in the mindset of the user. Since the humanoid is going to be user-friendly after all. There are up and down in all choices and living with it in the long run has its own impact on the collective us. When choosing the path for uplifting of social standards and well-being then progress should be welcomed with open arms.

Being User-Friendly and Reliable Assistant

There are many areas where the AI’s assistance can be to provide most needed support and aid for the common good. AI’s strengths and weaknesses should be well weighed and understood with empathetic compassion. If there is a controlled growth which is natural and not forced, then it would help to progress at set and possible pace.