Artificial intelligence, its advantages and disadvantages
Artificial intelligence is a known term for all and we use different forms of it in our daily lives. But do we know about the advantages and disadvantages of AI in detail? This article will give you a clear picture of it.
Introduction
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence shown by systems and machines. It is artificially created, unlike human intelligence. Now we get to see artificial intelligence in our day to day lives as well. The best example of it is the GPS on our smartphone. Robots designed to do specific jobs, self-driving cars etc are intelligent machines. They can do the task assigned to them without the help of humans. The systems just have to be programmed in the right manner. We can say artificial intelligence is a boon when considering some factors but at the same time, it has certain disadvantages too. This article will take you through the various advantages and disadvantages AI posses. Advantages of artificial intelligence
First, let us begin with the advantages of artificial intelligence. These machines are really a blessing and can assist and help humans in many tasks including difficult and tedious ones. They also have certain qualities which humans do not possess. Like the ability to work continuously without rest. I have explained in detail the advantages of AI. 1. Reduces human involvement in selected jobs
Artificial intelligence has proven to be successful in replacing humans in certain jobs. They can be used in almost all fields but their importance increases when it is a dangerous or tedious job. AI can be used for doing boring and repetitive jobs and the human resource can be wisely utilized for other creative purposes. Similarly, dangerous tasks can be assigned to AI, as they can adapt to circumstances and external environment, chances or damage to them are less likely. At the same time, if humans are involved, it can cause the death or serious injury. Thus human life can be saved by using AI for such tasks. Even space exploration can be done with the help of AI. It is just that they have to be created and programmed in that manner. In fact, reducing human risk in certain jobs is really an advantage to mankind. 2. Faster and minimal or no errors
Artificial intelligence is something artificially created and it is more or less a machine, robot, sometimes in the form of an app. Hence it is capable of doing whatever is instructed. Machines can work faster than humans. Hence substituting AI is advantageous when the work is to be finished faster. Similarly, there will be no errors at all but when it is humans, chances of errors are there. AI will do the assigned tasks in the manner how it is programmed, if there is an error in its creation or programming, only then chances of it making mistakes are there. AI can put forward greater efficiency when compared to humans. Also, they can work the whole day and night without rest and thereby increasing productivity. Multitasking is another ability of AI. In short, it is a competitor to humans. 3. Life and work made easier with AI
We definitely have to agree on this point. Artificial intelligence has made our life much easier. The Siri in our smartphones and the GPS system we use are of great help. Like a proper guide, GPS guides us to our desired destination. We are not worried anymore if we miss our way, or when we take the wrong route. We stay strong with the help of GPS. AI is also used in smartphones which helps us by guessing the word we are going to type or by automatically correcting our spelling errors. We actually do not have to type the entire word but can choose from the options provided. Artificial intelligence is now been used in almost all fields like medical, space exploration, mining, education, fuel, fraud detection etc. All these have helped mankind a lot and made his life easier. 4. Works 24*7 with no pay
This is the greatest advantage of artificial intelligence over humans. These machines can work continuously without break and rest. Moreover, they need not be paid for whereas the human employees are been paid salary. This feature attracts the employers as they can save on the monthly payment. Machines do not take sick leaves or annual leaves and so on. Additional expenditures like transportation cost, allowances, incentives, OT etc are not required. They have no complaints of being overloaded, they do not get tired like humans. AI is used in decision making and it is capable of thinking faster. These features make AI attractive and popular. In short, Artificial intelligence has all the advantages of a machine over humans. 5. Greatest advantage in the medical field
Artificial intelligence is widely used in the medical field as well. These machines can give a feedback to the researchers on the side effects of various medicines. AI can assist doctors with lengthy medical procedures. They can be an assistant as well as a tutor. It all depends upon how they are programmed. AI is used in recovering patients from depression state and to keep them active. These achievements and developments in the medical field with the help of artificial intelligence is highly appreciatable. It is we humans who are getting the benefits of these. 6. Decision making cannot be influenced
Artificial intelligence can be used in decision making as well. However as machines do not have any sort of emotions, their decisions cannot be influenced. Similarly, machines will not have personal bias and favoritism. Hence the decisions taken by them will be accurate and apt. In the case of humans, there is a tendency of emotions and bias influencing their decisions. This can be avoided through artificial intelligence. Disadvantages of artificial intelligence
Not only benefits there are some risks associated with artificial intelligence. A simple example is can a self-driving car perfectly drive like a human-driven car? No, it cannot be compared. Similarly, there are other disadvantages or flaws of AI, which are explained below. 1. Cannot fully replace humans
Machines are machines and cannot act like human brains. They are capable of doing what they are programmed for but nothing more than that. There is a limit to their creativity, understanding, thinking ability and so on. Hence artificial intelligence is not a complete replacement for humans. However, some fear that in future robots will dominate humans. 2. Creates unemployment in certain sectors
Artificial intelligence can and has lead to unemployment in certain sectors. When a machine can do the filing and repetitive jobs, why does an employer want to pay the salary for a staff and employ them? Also, humans cannot work day and night without rest. The preferences of the management have changed which leads to unemployment issues.3. Costs involved is too much
It is not an easy task to get a machine to do your jobs. The purchase, maintenance and repair cost requires high investment. We should even include the charges for updating software according to the changing requirements. Therefore only those organizations which can afford these will be able to go for artificial intelligence.4. Can do more bad than good
Imagine if such a wonderful technology happens to be in the hands of criminals or terrorists. They will utilize artificial intelligence to commit crimes which will have a greater impact than anyone can imagine. Also, when AI is used for doing various tasks,
Automation is the order of the day. Reducing the human involvement and getting the work done by the system or machine itself is artificial intelligence. These days, in many places, we are hearing about this artificial intelligence. The difference is that artificial intelligence is a job done without any involvement of the brain. But when a human being is employed he will always try to find out shortcuts and easy approaches which can create unexpected problems. But a machine or a system will work the way it is designed and not even a little less or more. This will ensure that the work is completed in the desired way.
In this methodology, one disadvantage I want to mention is the condition of the machine and the system. When the things are happening without their involvement, people forget about the machine and any small defect cropping up in the system can create havoc in the process. Hence a very good system should be in place to monitor the correct functioning of the machine and any little deviation should be noticed very early and it should be sorted out. For this, a very systematic maintenance schedule of the system is the key and a predesigned maintenance schedule to prevent problems should be there in place.