A Deep Dive Into AI

The future is now. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have gone viral as millions scramble to test its newest features. Discussions over its advantages as well as debates concerning ethical issues gain notoriety by netizens. While the topic seems new and refreshing, AI holds an old history leading up to what it is today.

Discussion over artificial intelligence first began in 1950 by a man named Alan Turing. As an English mathematician and computer scientist, Turing worked for various computer science laboratories where in 1950, he wrote an article expressing his views on whether machines can think. Rather than focusing on a straightforward answer, Turing proposed a different question; an idea called the Imitation Game. The theory advised setting up a scenario, in which, both human and computer-generated responses could be sent interchangeably for a (human) third party’s judgment. The winner would be determined by whether or not the judge was fooled into believing the computer responses were from another human. Over the years, this man-versus-computer game was widely used to test the strength of a machine’s intelligence. Critics argued against Turing’s hypothesis, reciting that imitation is a far cry from thought. While Turing’s proposal may not have answered the original question, it brought newfound interest to the subject of computer intelligence and what was to become of future technology.

John McCarthy, an American Computer and Cognitive Scientist, is dubbed as one of the “founding fathers” of artificial intelligence. Six years after Turing’s article was published, McCarthy helped coin the term artificial intelligence (AI) at a conference held by Dartmouth College. McCarthy, at the time, was an assistant professor at the college and through his proposal, AI was recognized as an official field of study.

“There are two ways of looking at things…” McCarthy said in the 1989 television series, “Thinking Allowed.” “You can either look at it from the point of view of biology, or from the point of view of computer science.”

McCarthy, along with other computer scientists, took great inspiration from Turing’s ‘Imitation Game’ and worked hard to improve AI. By creating games, systems, and codes to replicate, AI’s learning ability expanded. Soon, these machine-learning tactics could not only run smoothly on their own but could continue learning after the deaths of their original creators.

The 2010s reached an all-time peak in the growth of artificial intelligence. Through the widespread use of the internet, machine learning further developed into a new subset called deep learning. An overall consensus defines deep learning as: a type of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to analyze and predict data. This meant that AI could learn to imitate human behavior with greater realism and go beyond problem-solving expectations. The results of this change quickly captured the public’s interest.

Smartphones, which were still gaining popularity at the time, featured AI advancements. Upgrades such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, and virtual assistants spiked the tech market and brought millions in revenue. AI chatbots trended amongst internet users while websites implemented algorithms to personalize feeds and further draw engagement.

Beyond the smartphone, AI’s image and speech recognition helped bring justice to previously unsolved cases. Deeper analysis of language processing gave ease to translations and gathered information faster. Fields as big as automation and medicine began using AI to avoid human error in risky situations. Artificial intelligence continues to grow, integrating into every aspect of life; from online search queries, entertainment recommendations, and editing assistance to home appliances, educational tools, and personal companionship, AI has proven its grand preeminence in society, but criticism still exists over its use.

Generative AI, a tool used to create new content from models and descriptions, has expanded its use across various professions. One community particularly affected by AI is artists. A recent controversy struck the public when it was discovered that retail stores attempted to sell products with AI-generated art designs. The discovery began when customers across the country noticed that features such as hands, feet, and teeth contained extra or missing counts. When it came to wording, the beta AI tool would combine unrelated phrases, often misspelled. While this discovery wasn’t exactly shocking for retail environments, other professions were taken aback.

Online discussions feature artists from around the world, sharing commentary on the popularity of AI art. Generative AI works by taking samples of pre-existing assets and combining them together to create a prompt. Many artists raise ethical concerns over copyright infringement and originality. Overall, AI affects professions other than the arts causing the public to think twice about the future of technology.

The news of AI’s recent upgrades has broken the internet and for the first time, people are considering the effects. Questions regarding its ethics, life assistant features, and imitation of humans are in comparison to its entertaining features. In the midst of the discussion lies an important historical truth. Artificial intelligence was created by human hands and therefore can be regulated the same way