This feature examines the dangers of AI in the short-, medium- and long-term and how this technology can be helpful if used rightly but potentially deadly if in the wrong hands.

From voice assistants to self-driving cars, questions arise regarding their implications on emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Why are some technological experts sounding the alarm and warning us against the rise of artificial intelligence?

Whether you are a person of faith curious about the implications of AI or an AI enthusiast intrigued by its intersection with religious beliefs, we all need to learn powerful lessons and gain fresh insights.

Knowledge explosion

Estimates calculate that in 1900, knowledge doubled every 100 years. In 1945, knowledge doubled every 25 years. People at that time were already impressed with the rapid advancements in knowledge. Now, what do you think their reaction would be if they know how fast knowledge doubles today? Can you guess how rapidly knowledge grows in our day and age? Today, knowledge doubles every 12 hours.

What is artificial intelligence?

AI refers to the capability of computers and machines to mimic the intelligence of humans to perform a wide range of tasks. Through sophisticated programming and coding, AI can simulate human-like cognitive functions such as perception, problem-solving, learning, decision-making and reasoning. Brain studies using MRI are taking place on how the human touch (embrace, kiss and so on) can be simulated remotely using avatars.

People now employ artificial intelligence to generate written content, artistic designs, videos and so much more. AI is now useful in the fields of finance, healthcare, transportation and communication.

As useful as AI is, there are people who raise important ethical, social and philosophical questions, such as the impact on employment, privacy, bias and fairness, accountability and the nature of consciousness and human identity.

The potential danger of AI

Not everything that shines is gold and more and more people are seeing not just its benefits but also its risks. When hearing of people saying that AI is a threat to human civilization, one can say, "well, these people are obviously overreacting". However, as time passes by, we can slowly see where their concerns are coming from.

In late March this year, more than 1,000 leaders, researchers and individuals in the field of technology signed an open letter that talks about how AI can potentially put society and humanity in general at risk. One of the signatories of the letter is none other than Elon Musk himself, which is quite ironic because he is one of the co-founders of OpenAI, which created ChatGPT. He left the company in 2018.

Short-, medium- and long-term risks of AI

Now, why are these people so concerned? There are short-, medium- and long-term risks that AI poses. 

Short-term risks

In the short-term, AI can generate biased, false and toxic information. They call this Artificial Intelligence hallucination.

Medium-term risks

In the medium term, AI is a job-killer. For many years, we thought that AI would only replace blue-collar jobs. However, today, we are seeing how AI is being used in the creative fields affecting the jobs of artists, writers and entertainers.

Did you know that some people are now trying to use AI to create actors and actresses? They try to replicate famous people now. Even when an actor is already dead, he can still star in movies and shows! What's more? AI can make these movie stars look younger or older.

One can get a quick feel firsthand of the sting of AI advancement. With AI technology such as ChatGPT and Bard, one writer can complete the job of 10 writers.

Now, if you think that the short- and medium-term risks are already gloomy, think about the long-term risks. Some experts say that AI may get out of control and take over humanity while others say that's unlikely to happen.

Long-term risks

So, why do some people say that AI can be dangerous? For one, because of the vast amounts of data AI analyses, they may learn unexpected behaviour. The danger happens when AI can write and create their own computer codes. They say it is only a matter of time before AI can write codes that could lead to dangerous outcomes.

What's so frightening today is that tech companies are racing with each other, trying to create the best AI in the world. They would do their best to outdo each other and become the leading company in the field of artificial intelligence.

They may be motivated by greed and ambition to the point that they will deliberately or ignorantly dismiss the possible ethical dilemma of AI.

To describe a truly powerful AI system, they coin the term "god-like AI". A god-like AI is a superintelligent computer that can learn and develop new systems automatically without any need for supervision.

Are we indeed reaching the point of no turning back where the human person and the brain is no longer in charge or assume little or no importance? Are we going to be artificially ruled by the same machines created by humans? Something to ponder on.