GLOBAL SCHOLAR’S PRIZE The IGS Global Scholar’s Prize Winning Entry 2023
The Anxiously Revolutionising Rise Of Artificial Intelligence A Discursive Style Essay Written By Ellie Sifis
AI generated Image using the prompt “The Rise Of Artificial Intelligence”.
THE ANXIOUSLY REVOLUTIONISING RISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE A Discursive Style Essay Written By Ellie Sifis
As a society, what do we collectively consider to be artificial intelligence? What has caused that definition to evolve over time? Is there a specific scientific definition for the term ‘artificial intelligence’ and to what threshold do technologies fall into this category? Asking questions about something you are curious or unsure about is a human instinct that rapidly develops when you reach 4 years old and becomes a necessity to survive in our diverse world. It’s a quality that is unique to humans only, until Artificial Intelligence did it better. It’s not difficult to create a storm of questions and queries within the realm of artificial intelligence, an area which remains grey for many. Artificial intelligence is human developed machines, technologies or softwares that have the independent ability to perform at a high rate of success from manually given commands. It has recently gained international traction after the 2022 public release of Chat GPT, a natural language processing tool which is able to generate human-like conversational dialogue to answer
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questions and create texts. Since ChatGPT’s release, a flood of new softwares and technologies have quickly emerged with new abilities such as the generation of images, vocals, teachings, and personal virtual assistance. With this seemingly revolutionary influx of AI technology also comes fearfulness, hesitation and apprehension. Many understand its capabilities to advance and transform although to what extent does our future become dystopian. “Humans use available information as well as reason in order to solve problems and make decisions, so why can’t machines do the same thing?” Said Alan Turing, a young British polymath. This was the foundation of His 1950s paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” where he discussed topics of creating intelligent devices and determining their level of intelligence. Following his paper, he proposed a test that assessed a machine's capacity to mimic human-like actions to a degree that it was indistinguishable from human behaviour. The 1950’s was the beginning of ‘Modern AI’ where
machines were mainly programmed to solve complex mathematical problems and create algorithms. "Artificial Intelligence" was a term coined by computer and cognitive scientist, John McCarthy during a summer conference at Dartmouth College in the mid-1950s. The conference founded the field of AI research in its entirety and from the 1950s forward, many researchers, programmers, logicians and theorists contributed to solidifying the collective modern understanding of AI as a whole. Every new decade brought new discoveries and innovations that altered people's fundamental understanding of the field and how historical developments have propelled AI from an impractical fantasy to a viable possibility for both the present and the future.
AI TECHNOLOGY HAS A RANGE OF HUMAN-LIKE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS THE ABILITY TO LEARN, REASON, SELF-CORRECT, PROBLEM SOLVE AND CREATE. AI technology has a range of humanlike cognitive functions such as the ability to learn, reason, self-correct, problem solve and create. This technology processes large amounts of data, analysing it for correlations and patterns whilst simultaneously filtering for relevant and accurate outcomes for the user. Recently, developments have led to AI being able to generate images and there has been international debate as to whether artificial intelligence technology has the capacity to be creative. This specific type of generative AI uses 3 main processes known as Stable Diffusion, DALLE-2 or MidJourney. They all share a similar processing algorithm although they have unique features from one-
another making one more preferable for specific requirements. Large amounts of data is processed to train the AI and after it has seen a sufficient amount of material, it is then able to devise new content that resembles the data it saw although often the output is not entirely accurate or identical. “The main concern for me is what this does to the future of not just my industry, but creative human industries in general,” - RJ Palmer, Concept artist and illustrator. These Images that AI are generating are not unique at all, the models are based on millions of other images, the vast majority being artists work that is published online. As well as artists being concerned for the future of their career, many others conspire as to whether their job will become obsolete due to the takeover of Artificial Intelligence. Although it is widely argued that ‘a computer can do it faster, cheaper and better’, millions around the globe do not feel any risk of their jobs being compromised by the technology. Several jobs require employees with certain attributes and skills that can’t necessarily be replicated by AI tech. “AI technology cannot replicate genuine human empathy, likewise people cannot empathise with an algorithm” - Kalli Tsiotsioras, Clinical and forensic psychologist. Psychology is debatably one of the more morally challenging fields for AI to be accepted within as the entire premise of seeking a psychologist is to build a trusted relationship between said psychologist and client. Recently, AI technologies have also been developed to replicate the voice of a particular singer, giving people the ability for their favourite artist to sing an original song or song performed by someone else. Prolific audio engineer and producer Young Guru, voiced concern over a viral video that showcased an AI-powered voice filter
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that mimics the voice of Kendrick Lamar. “Of course, my mind goes to the ethical and legal aspects of what can be done with programs like Tacotron 2.” - Young Guru. Alongside Young Guru, many music producers and artists themselves agree that Artificial Intelligence can create “chaos' ' within the music industry although some artists think it may be a positive development. “I was very surprised at how easy it was. Right out of the AI, it sounds pretty good. It sounds real, there is potential for amazing creations'' - Jered Chavez, College Student. Artists with iconic voices who have passed are ‘coming back from the dead’ as their voices are being used to sing unreleased music. Many fans are excitedly celebrating AI tech as they are re-connected with their favourite artists. Most view Artificial Intelligence as just another thing to be fearful of. Artificial Intelligence is certainly capable of destruction, although its breakthrough has also given many things to be celebrated. This year, researchers have used AI to help create a digital twin of our planet to test the impact of different warmingmitigation policies. As well as assisting the prevention of climate change, AI algorithms are helping to protect our planet's biodiversity by analysing data from eco systems which are high risk and providing scientists with methods on how to revitalise these ecosystems. A growing body of evidence suggests that AI is capable of significantly assisting with the diagnosis of mental health by flagging abnormal changes in mood and behaviour as well as analysing a patient's brain. Many digital platforms have now introduced AI chatbots to help answer questions of customers as well as some platforms providing a service where anyone can anonymously talk to an AI chatbot to assist with mental health issues or
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anxiety. As AI can gather, store and quickly access large amounts of data, there has been a major spike when seeing AI in classrooms. AI is able to be used as individualised support for students through chatbots, but AI has also seen creating learning plans for students with difficulty in the classroom by creating lesson plans using content from the curriculum. The world grows infinitely more complex every day and with developments and discoveries such as Artificial Intelligence, society will have to become very comfortable with change. Although change means new and many choose to ignore it, the integration of AI in our everyday lives has now become the reality for the human race. A revolutionising
RESEARCHERS HAVE USED AI TO HELP CREATE A DIGITAL TWIN OF OUR PLANET TO TEST THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT WARMING-MITIGATION POLICIES. development which, if used in the hands of the right people, could help our planet to grow and flourish. Many wonder what the future will look like for AI, so here is an answer provided directly from the source: “The future of AI holds the promise of increasingly sophisticated and autonomous systems that will transform industries, enhance decision-making, and revolutionise the way we interact with technology and each other. As AI continues to evolve, its integration into everyday life is likely to reshape how we work, interact, and solve complex challenges.” - CHATGPT.
Ellie’s Reflection The writing of this essay came easily to me as I highly enjoyed researching this topic. Artificial Intelligence has proved a grey area for many, especially with the major breakthrough of generative AI technology such as ChatGPT. In my essay, I wished to highlight both the excitement and hesitation surrounding the rise of AI technology. AI technology is a revolutionary and powerful tool which can help many people and be used for good, only in the hands of the right person. It is an honour to be selected as the winning candidate for the IGS Scholars prize for 2023!
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