Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest areas of growth and transformation we have ever seen. The next step is integrating itself and working with wireless and wireline networks. This is a huge growth opportunity and the sky looks bright for the investor, worker, corporate customer, end user and governments worldwide.
However, there are plenty of challenges we must deal with. I continually get asked about the other side of the AI coin.
We all know about the amazing new world we are entering. However, there will be a few potholes along the way. Is AI going to be man and machine or will it be man vs. machine? There are plenty of mixed views in the world today.
Challenges for AI
Training is one of the biggest challenges. You would think work in the AI field would he highly technical and require new education, and you would be right. However, not all AI jobs require the same level of education. Once AI is developed and in the marketplace there are plenty of jobs that do not require the same education.
The fear is AI will replace a large portion of the workforce. I think that is a mixed truth. Some AI will work with humans to improve what we do, while other AI will replace humans. So, AI is a mixed bag of companies and technologies, and while there is reason to be concerned about some areas like jobs and security as an example, other areas will benefit us in so many new and exciting ways.
The AI revolution will be a rocky road
Remember, in every revolution the change is often a rough and rocky road for many. Think back to all the other revolutions we have experiences. AI will have the same repercussions for better and for worse.
Example: When the first Ford Model T was invented, it was new and exciting. However, growth in the auto industry decimated the horse and buggy industry. What happened to those workers? The smart ones got retrained and started making cars. Today the automotive industry has a mix of workers from college educated white collar jobs to countless others who maintain and build vehicles.
Another example: When wireless moved from analog to digital, analog networks were much more secure. Digital networks create all sorts of new opportunity with applications, but are also susceptible to viruses and thieves especially since they can now gain access to all our personal and private information.
So, as you see, with each new revolutionary technology, there is always a little bit of poison with every new medicine.
What to expect from AI
This is a perfect example of what we can expect with AI. We have seen example after example, decade after decade, for as long as we can remember. The same story has unfolded over and over again. New technology and innovation creates the next, big growth wave. This creates so much new opportunity for investors, workers, companies and workers.
Another question is should we fear AI? There is a fear that has been programmed into us for decades as we have watched Hollywood films scare the hell out of us using AI as the bad guy. Think about movies like “Westworld,” “Humans,” “The Terminator,” “Bicentennial Man,” “RoboCop” and “I Robot.”
Should we fear AI? Yin and yang
So, there is a push and a pull, A yin and a yang. Getting the world to understand AI is a huge challenge. What the average person knows about AI is not good. In other industries like wireless, computers or automotive, they get to start from scratch and create a vision of what the world will look like going forward.
AI has a much bigger challenge. First, it must rewrite what the world thinks about when they hear the term AI. Currently the term creates both anticipation and fear. It will take time and effort to bring the world up to zero. Then to create the real meaning of AI in the mind of the marketplace.
AI means different things to different people and companies
The problem is AI means different things to different executives and companies. Some companies want AI to partner with us and make us better. Others want to replace us in the workforce. There is nothing wrong with this either, however it does mean changes. A changing workforce environment like when the Model T entered the scene a century ago.
Then there are all the weird and wacky people who will take AI far beyond the comfort level in their search of the next, big thing. Remember the time traveling CEO in the 2003 movie “Timeline.”
And of course, criminals will use AI to much more damage than they have ever been able to in the past. This will create a growing need for protection against the enormous wave of bad guys that will pop up, as they always do.
There are so many companies rapidly moving into this new area. That’s good. Good for workers. Good for investors. Good for customers like companies, users and governments. IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said she believes AI will help create jobs and talks about a symbiotic relationship with AI.
That’s great from IBM, however, as good as this sounds there is always the other side of the AI coin. We can’t stop AI. We wouldn’t want to. It’s too important to our society going forward. Just like every other major revolution we have gone through in the past.
However, this evolution is not without its potholes. We must be aware that there are two sides of the coin. All the good transformation and all the uncomfortable pain that comes with a transition of this magnitude.
AI growth not without potholes
Going forward, expect every company to be a player in the AI space. Either that or they will fade away. This is good for them, their investors and workers. However, also remember that means workers will have to be retrained. Some jobs will require more and different education, while other jobs will just require retraining on the front lines.
Think about the last few decades at IBM. Remember when they made the Selectric typewriter in the 1980’s or the ThinkPad in the 1990’s or Watson today. Each shift required their workforce to be retrained. While this ushers in a new era of growth, it is not without potholes we must contend with as a society.
AI is both man vs. machine and man and machine
Bottom line: what is AI? Is it man and machine or man vs machine? The answer is both and sometimes it depends on you. If you are a worker and understand the changes that are occurring and retrain, it’s man and machine. If not, it will be man vs. machine.
However, we must also protect ourselves from the dangers and risk AI also brings to our world. In a world where machines can think and control our lives, there is also danger. Remember, AI is still very new. It’s like the first Model T. What happens as it continues to advance going forward? The risk will only grow. The automotive industry continues to advance its safety and reliability. The same will happen with AI.
We need to advance the remarkable world of AI, but we also must protect ourselves from the bad things that can happen and bad guys that will also try and control our lives using this new technology. We should pay attention to the threat posed in the Hollywood movies. The reason is simple: the next generation of AI will have plenty of both good players and troublemakers. There always have been and there always will be.
