The Rise of AI
Hearing the term “artificial intelligence” conjures up images of a futuristic, fully automated world that frees humans from mundane tasks—plus dark visions of a dystopian world in which humans Overwhelmed by machines like RoboCop that control everything.
The earth is witnessing a glorious era in the history of technology – the rise of artificial intelligence. Yes! AI is finally here—and it’s here to stay. Many of us don’t realize it, but over the past decade, artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where it is now in our homes, directly impacting our daily lives. AI is in our gadgets (hello Alexa!), including our smartphones, helping us shop online, translate foreign languages, and even recommend videos for Netflix.
From the moment computers were created, humans have been trying to make them think more like humans. Serious research began in the late 1950s, but unfortunately the end result was unsuccessful, and this potential new field of computer science was (essentially) declared a dud.
In the 1980s, scientists in Canada gave it new life, and they never stopped funding AI research, as did the rest of the world. This continued support enabled AI pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, and Richard Sutton to move forward and lay the groundwork for what we now know as machine learning and deep learning. It took another 25 to 30 years, however, for AI to take off, largely because the technology—especially the development of supercomputers and superfast processing chips—finally caught up to Hinton’s idea.
Today, Canada is reaping the benefits of supporting a region that many early on considered too Star Trek-like. It is the undisputed world leader and global AI hub where most of the AI brains/masters/godfathers on the planet work. AI is also a highly valuable resource in Canada, now an engine of economic growth, attracting tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft to invest in deep learning research centers in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
But of course, there’s a seemingly dark side to all of this. While AI has many positive applications—especially in the healthcare industry—it can also be used by those without morals or ethics to manipulate or even harm others. In fact, this is already happening; the best example is the manipulation of Facebook/social media algorithms to influence election results around the world.
Is there a risk if we end up building machines that are smarter than us? Will artificial intelligence threaten the future of humanity? In any case, AI is everywhere and the world cannot be reproduced without it. Going forward, AI will continue to develop and evolve, and it is up to us humans to ensure it is used correctly and only for the greater good.
Director Allen Jeffries
