TECHNICAL DISCUSSION: New apps are increasingly penetrating aspects of our daily lives, says BILL MAGE

“Man is never ready for the things he invents” – Science fiction author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury “The Veldt”

Soon, the faithful smartphone will be equipped with an artificial intelligent application dedicated to the analysis of our daily anxieties. Hopefully that includes the one about artificial intelligence. The transformative power of AI behind cloud-based solutions and services has well proven its numerical value for any ambitious business, provided proper thought and planning is done.

However, Forbes warns of a growing apprehension that AI is falling into the wrong hands. The website www.sciencedirect.com cites what has become known as “AI phobia” and calls for a thorough investigation into the “limits” of its deployment.

The concern is that AI is being forced upon us at an alarming rate and there is nothing we humans can do to stop its technological advance. Also, that it is nothing more than spyware in another form.

It’s the stuff of science fiction movies. Read spooky robots and scripts highlighting how their superior intelligence is ready to go rogue, taking over the planet at any moment.

Back to the real world. Tech moguls Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the late legendary physicist Stephen Hawking have each expressed concern that society could be damaged beyond repair as computers increasingly replace human decision-making.

There are calls for a greater focus on ‘robo-ethics’, designing AI systems with a code of conduct and an ethical framework that holds, above all else, health and well-being. to be humans.

It is expected that this year, one in five workers will be engaged in tasks that depend on AI to do their job. This does not include the countless solo robotic manufacturing functions operating in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Gates and Musk may very well have expressed genuine concerns, as they pocketed their billions (the latter planning to spend the change to buy Twitter). This is not necessarily confirmed by the actions of the technological monoliths they have created.

Microsoft and Tesla each invest billions each year in a relentless search for the next breakthrough product, market data portal www.statista.com reminds us. There are huge business choices to be made in what is fierce competition global market.

The smartphone market alone is a £300 billion global industry and Big Tech is busy accelerating the latest research into AI applications available in the humble phone. A study claims 90% accuracy in probing an individual’s state of mind.

This is a privacy report from www.atlasvpn.com which highlights that the iPhone caused Apple product “vulnerabilities” to increase by 467% in 2021 compared to the previous year.

A larger concern is how technology monitors our lives. Best-selling author and futurist Bernard Marr (“Business Trends in Practice: The 25+ Trends That Are Redefining Organisations”) prefers the term “infiltration”, extending his warning to voice assistants Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri in the digital mixing. .

According to www.pocket-lint.com, this leads to increased concern about whether these electronic gadgets, in whatever form, are trustworthy.

A mental health survey by wellbeingtrust.org reports that we are increasingly turning to blogs, podcasts and videos to help us combat depression and our inability to tune out electronic gadgets.
Ironically, our search for answers involves an increase in screen time.

It is obvious that much more needs to be done to combat the potential side effects. Ultimately, it has to be about finding a numerical balance in one’s life.

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