Discuss Is Artificial Intelligence Really A Threat (Essay Sample)

Name of Student
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Is Artificial Intelligence Really a Threat?
The contemporary world is faced with a predicament of whether to support the development of artificial intelligence (AI) or not. While the proponents of AI consider the complex problems that the technology can efficiently solve, anti-AI crusaders look at the ethical question and the resulting harm. Currently, scientists are developing the AI systems that can conduct any intellectual role. By definition, AI is an effective technique that uses sophisticated methods and approaches to solve multifarious problems. Although AI has fundamentally improved operations, it threatens the existence and wellbeing of humanity because of its unchecked functionality and the shifts in job markets.
To start with, AI is a threat because of its self-improving capability that will devour humanity in future. In his book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, physicist Nick Boston uses the example of a paperclip maximizer, an AI device that makes paperclips (115). After consuming all the raw materials available, the paperclip uses any available atoms around, including humans. Anti-AI crusaders argue that if people manage to develop a super-intelligent AI that has full understanding of its functionalities, it can self-improve, posing a threat to the human race. Besides, these super robotics might easily go rogue, manipulating human operations and enslaving them in the process. Undoubtedly, AI technology is a threat to the human race.
However, proponents of the AI believe that the advancement of AI is not fast enough, giving room to develop checks at every phase. However, policy makers have a reason to worry about AI technologies such as the submarine-hunting drones created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Pavaloui and Kose 16). While reviewing the threat of these weapons, an ethical issue emerged about the functional errors ingrained in the autonomous artillery. According to Bostrom, the impact of error, which stems from human inaccuracies during programming, might increase the lethality of these weapons (57). Consequently, such errors could result in longstanding and irreversible consequences, for example, unintentional spark of a war.
Artificial intelligence also threatens the employment patterns among human beings, with each novel technological revolution shifting the job markets. In their study, Pavaloui and Kose found that, AI technology is likely to replace 75%, 69%, and 47% of the jobs in India, China, and the US respectively by 2043 (20). In its forecast, the European Union approximates 90% of the total jobs in the world will be digitalized. For that reason, most firms will prefer having AI robotics over humans to perform essential cores. Consequently, the new AI revolution will result in economic disparity by widening the...