You already use Artificial Intelligence and you haven’t realized it | by Marta Reyes | May, 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI), me? If you. Perhaps you consider that this topic has nothing to do with you, that it is very far from life or that it is better to avoid it altogether. I have news for you: AI is already in your life and maybe you haven’t realized it.

What do you think is behind the recommendations that YouTube or Netflix make to you? Exactly, the AI. And if you’ve spoken to Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, you’ve also interacted with AI. It is also present in the tagging of photos on social networks, the functions of many Apps, the recommendations that come to you online, vehicle assistance systems, facial recognition or your fingerprint recognition on your cell phone…

Is it really a threat? We could take a look at the past. Do you remember when they told us that by the year 2000, reading and writing on paper would be history? What times! When the Internet boom began, although it amazed many, it was also seen as a threat. And here we are, more than 30 years later, me writing digitally, and you, perhaps reading this from your cell phone. And surprise! Paper is still part of our lives. Because just as many prophecies have never come true, we did not even imagine other situations that have happened. As if in the 90s someone had predicted that in 2020, the internet would help us cope with a pandemic with Zoom meetings and online shopping. Would we have believed it?

Something similar is happening now with Artificial Intelligence. While some are amazed by its possibilities, others warn, through the mouth of a prophet, that it will be our downfall.

We are in the era of the “Apocalyptic and Integrated”, as Umberto Eco says in his book of the same name. Although he refers to the media, his analysis applies perfectly to how we face today’s technological changes. On the one hand, the Apocalyptics who see the new as the destructive entity. And the Integrated, the users excited to incorporate everything new into their lives. Who is right?

Let’s go in parts: AI is not just ChatGPT, nor is it something new. It was conceived in 1956 at the now famous Dartmouth Conference, where algorithms and concepts were discussed so that machines could perform complex tasks. Thus was born what we know today as Artificial Intelligence: the ability of machines to do tasks that require human intelligence, such as learning, perception, reasoning, natural language and decision making.

In fact, did you know that in the war in Ukraine AI models are used for the logistics of saving lives or calling for help? Or that AI is also present in the conflict between Israel and Palestine?

Because this goes further. In specialized areas, Artificial Intelligence is already used in product manufacturing, customer service chats, data analysis to identify behavior and consumption patterns, fraud detection, flight route planning, weather prediction, supply chain optimization, crop improvements, space science, climate prediction, social research, improvement of management and human resources practices, and of course, medical and scientific advances… the list is already long.

I do see AI with enthusiasm, especially in education, art, creativity and entertainment, fields where I work. But I am also concerned about plagiarism, fraud and the manipulation of reality that its misuse poses.

Well, like any technological advance, AI has its challenges: many ethical dilemmas, the displacement of jobs and new digital frauds such as identity theft, scams and cybersecurity.

What is a fact is that there is no turning back: whether we agree or not, AI is part of our lives. And as Umberto Eco says: “Ultimately, the relationship between the Apocalyptics and the Integrated is like the tension between the opposite poles of a magnet: they need each other to maintain cultural balance.”

Which side are you on? Are you an Integrated or an Apocalyptic on the subject? I invite you to explore both positions in this column. Without a doubt, the best way to take advantage of its advantages and face the challenges is to understand what is happening. I’ll wait for you here then, every 15 days, to continue the talk.