By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
Since its inception in the 1950s, Artificial Intelligence [AI] has evolved exponentially, permeating various sectors and sparking intense debate: will AI propel humanity forward or pose an existential threat?
AI has evolved rapidly in recent years and is being integrated into various industries, including healthcare, finance and autonomous vehicles. AI-powered assistants and intelligent Chabot have also become dominant as customer service technologies.
The adoption of Virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant, has gained widespread recognition, enabling users to perform tasks, retrieve information, and interact with other devices through voice commands.
Despite these remarkable attributes, there have been great concerns that AI will one day drive many individuals out of jobs, thereby worsening the rate of poverty worldwide. However, experts are of a contrary opinion as they consider AI a force for good. It is believed that it has become an essential tool for problem-solving and decision-making.
According to a system analyst and cyber safety advocate, Tinuola Popoola, AI is at the heart of many technologies, including smart devices and voice assistants such as Siri on Apple devices. She said that artificial intelligence not only brings about changes in how work is done but also in how problems are solved.
Popoola also pointed out how AI is the general ability of computers to emulate human thought and perform tasks in real-world environments, mimicking the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind, which feeds on the information provided and used to influence the world.
Similarly, a Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy advisor and Founder of Jidaw.com, Mr Jide Awe, said that AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for Nigeria when it comes to tackling insecurity and other development challenges. According to him, when used purposefully and responsibly, AI will enable innovativeness and effectiveness. He explained that AI can process large volumes of data from various sources, such as social media, sensors, and satellite imagery, to detect patterns and anomalies, which would enable the identification of areas at risk of crime and the potential indication of security threats or crises. He added that such an AI system would alert security personnel and facilitate prompt responses to threats and incidents.
Additionally, Awe highlighted how AI can be beneficial to the education and healthcare system. He noted that AI can be employed to develop more sophisticated and powerful diagnostic tools and treatments for diseases, which can help in tracking and monitoring disease outbreaks by analyzing healthcare and other relevant data.
Concerning the educational system, he explained that AI can be used to improve education through the development of personalized learning tools and learning support for students, and can also be deployed to automate administrative tasks and improve efficiency in educational institutions.
Further driving home the point, a former executive vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, said that “Africa can overcome challenges of poverty, food security and others by adopting and deploying AI. It has the potential to provide solutions to major challenges faced by African countries.”
Regardless of experts’ support, a question that is still in the minds of the public is whether AI is a friend, that helps in problem-solving, and decision-making, and makes work easier or a foe that is taking people’s jobs, posing a threat to humanity, or causing humanities extinction.
Is AI really freeing workers from the shackles of boring, repetitive work and improving productivity? Or is it rapidly replacing people in the workplace? These are the real questions of concern for many.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence is not only a topical point of discussion but a contentious one too. In recent times, some “Godfathers of AI” have turned their attention away from the positive potential of the technology and instead towards the potential of Armageddon. Warnings have been plastered across national newspapers debating whether or not humanity is driving itself towards extinction. Others, however, have continued to dismiss any notion that these advancements are apocalyptic or destructive.
For now, the only point of agreement seems to be that the path ahead is still not clear and whether AI will help or hinder humanity remains undetermined.
By 2030, AI is projected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy. Yet, concerns linger about its impact on jobs and humanity. As AI transforms Nigeria and the world, experts ponder: is it a force for good or a recipe for disaster? The deeply controversial nature of this debate has been brought before the gathering of world leaders across business, technology, the creative industries, law and academia several times to find out if AI is indeed a friend or foe. Ultimately, there is only one answer to the hypothesis and that is, AI will either be a friend or a foe, depending on how humanity harnesses it.