The billion dollar question: will artificial intelligence/machine learning replace humans?
Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) replace humans?
The good news and the short answer is NO.
The question also reminds me of the following statement made by writer and publisher, Elbert Hubbard:
One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.
Evolution of technology
The word technology has its origin in the Greek words techne and logos which in short means artefacts or applied arts. Technology has evolved with time, since the inception of mankind, from the earliest human tools (such as stones, knives, and arrows) to the latest modern technology, to meet human needs and demands. Technology has a hand in reshaping all aspects of society and human lives.
Table 1 shows the history of the evolution of technology milestones in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Evolution of ML and AI — what does it mean for humans?
From the mid 20th century, software applications started replacing manual processes, thus replacing the individuals who used to perform those manual tasks. However, building, running and maintaining these software applications required, and still requires, human intervention and effort.
Many applications powered by AI and ML have higher execution speeds, greater operational efficiencies, and better decision-making accuracy than humans. However, these applications require pre-fed data.
Human beings on the other hand, do not need pre-fed data and their intelligence comes from adaptive learning and personal experience. Human brains are more complex and sophisticated with deeper layers that machines can’t beat.
While AI has automated some aspects of our lives, it is not above failure. Some failures are listed below:
“Uber Self Driving Car Kills A Pedestrian”
“IBM’s Watson supercomputer is described as unsafe and wrong in treating cancer.”
“The AI-enabled facial recognition system is biased towards colored skin tones by identifying innocent people as criminals.”
As ML and AI continue to evolve, according to experts, there will come a time, when software developers and programmers might get computerized with the advances in machine learning algorithms. However, when that happens it will be human beings who would have to design, write, test, implement and support those machine learning algorithms, and set data.
With further advances in technology, AI might be able to write more efficient code and suggest a complete coding structure. However, AI tools would be working in the capacity of reliable coding partners for programmers. A human being with the right programming and testing skills will still have to analyze and verify the code for its accuracy and performance.
AI and automation conflicting job forecasts — what do they mean?
While AI and ML will take away some of the existing jobs as has always been the case when a new technology comes into place, it will create more jobs for the new ways of working. AI and ML cannot replace humans. However, they will certainly change the nature of work that human beings have been doing, hence individuals will need them to learn new skills and be change ready. This completely falls in line with American writer Alvin Toffler’s quote-
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Key takeaways and concluding thoughts
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have been reshaping human society and lives to make things easier. However, machines cannot substitute humans. As technology advances, AI and ML will increasingly permeate activities that currently have little potential for technical automation.
The degree of predictability will play a role in whether the work is done by a machine or a human being. While predictable tasks will be handled through automation with a layer of human oversight, unpredictable tasks and activities that require creativity and problem solving will be handled by humans.
It will not be surprising to see humans and machines as partners in a dance!
Thank you for reading! Take care!
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Biography: Rupa Mahanti is a consultant, researcher, speaker, data enthusiast, and author. She has extensive experience and expertise in different information management disciplines, business process improvement, regulatory reporting, and more. Rupa has written many research articles on quality management, Six Sigma, information management, software engineering, environmental management, compliance, simulation, and modelling. She is the author of several books on data.
