In the early 19th century, Charles Babbage first proposed the concept of a programmable computer. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that computers became widely available for use in businesses and homes. Email, invented in the 1970s, have now revolutionised the way people communicate. Google Search, introduced in 1998 quickly became a popular search engine transforming the way people access information, making it easier to find anything from the latest news to research papers on any topic.
These are now everyday usage. For social conversations, ‘less is more’ as evidenced from other platforms as Facebook, Instagram, twitter. But then, more devices humans have to communicate, lesser they converse with one another. More chat windows they have, lesser they talk to each other.
AI the new way?
Artificial intelligence is built on the idea that human thought can be mechanised. For centuries, philosophers have studied formal reasoning. Structured methods of deductive reasoning were developed by Chinese, Indian, and Greek scholars throughout the last millennium BC. Their ideas were developed over the centuries with Aristotle’s formal analysis of the syllogism, Euclid’s Elements, a model of formal reasoning, and al-Khwārizmī’s algebra and the idea of the algorithm.
All of us have been using AI for long now, without even realising it. The video gaming, digital and voice based assistants on our phones, chatbots, maps we use for navigation and so many daily uses.
Computers have improved a phenomenal amount since then, but in many ways they are still dependent on the quality of human input.
The newest and coolest AI wonderment is the ChatGPT. As a language model, it understands natural language and generates responses that are indistinguishable from those of a human. It has been developed with millions of hours or training on billions of pieces of digital content. Be it a simple question that you ask it “when should I exercise today? l, as well as “tell me what is the approach to redesigning semiconductor chip”, it can answer them. ChatGPT also has bias, and it does offer that disclaimer. ChatGPT has been shown to produce answers that discriminate against gender, race, and minority groups, something which the company is trying to mitigate.
Even as we speak, use cases are being developed. In the field of HR, one can readily see immediate fit to both recruitment hiring and Learning and Development.
However, with the rapid growth of computerisation, concerns have been raised by people and society about its impact. One of the main worries is the potential for job losses due to automation. Many jobs that were previously done by humans can now be automated, and this trend is expected to continue in the future. The fear is that the pace of job losses may exceed the rate of job creation, leading to widespread unemployment. Another concern is the potential for computers to be used for evil purposes. Cybersecurity threats, such as hacking, phishing, and identity theft, have become increasingly common in recent years, and they can have devastating consequences. There is also the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to be used for malicious purposes, such as creating fake news or propaganda.
Despite these concerns, there are reasons for optimism about the future of the computer age. For one, automation has the potential to improve productivity and efficiency, which can lead to economic growth and creation of newer jobs and newer types of jobs.
As technology advances, new jobs will be created that require skills that only humans can provide, such as creativity and critical thinking. If only we look at innovations like ChatGPT akin to calculators and machines that can help humans. We have to accept that – We do not know what we do not know – the scope for human learning is enormous.
The potential for AI to improve our lives in many ways is infinite. For example, it can be used to improve healthcare by helping doctors to diagnose and treat diseases more accurately. It can also be used to improve the quality of education by providing personalised learning experiences that cater to the needs of individual students.
Reskilling people
To realise these benefits, it is important to address the concerns that people and society have about the computer age. One way to do this is to ensure that people are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in a world where automation is becoming increasingly common. This means investing in education and training programmes that prepare people for the jobs of the future. Another way to address these concerns is to ensure that computers are used for ethical purposes. This means developing regulations and guidelines that ensure that AI is used for the benefit of humanity and not for malicious purposes.
It also means developing cybersecurity measures that protect people and organisations from cyber threats.
While concerns have been raised about the impact of computerisation, there are reasons for optimism about the future. Automation has the potential to improve productivity and efficiency, and the winner are those that see it as a tool and embrace it.
All technologies can be perceived as useful, and dangerous. It just depends on context of usage, and frequency and duration. To tilt the balance towards brilliance, we need a framework of rules. Motor vehicles need road signs, traffic lights. Pharma drugs need testing, certification and dosage. ChatGPT is just similar, and we should work in how to integrate it into our lives.
(Steve Correa is an Executive Coach and HR Consultant. He is author of, The Indian Boss at Work: Thinking Global Acting Indian. Srinath Sridharan is a Corporate Advisor)
