In my last post, I shared the experiences before the AI era (year 2022) through the topic "Exploring the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence: Insights from My Early Tech Journey," highlighting how technologies have continued to improve, especially during this AI revolution. As we move forward, I will discuss what transpired in 2022 and beyond, but first, it's essential to address the hindrances and impediments to the AI revolution and their countermeasures. There are two major schools of thought regarding artificial intelligence: optimism (Utopian) and pessimism (Doomers/Dystopian prophecies).
The optimistic perspective views AI as a catalyst for progress, innovation, and societal enhancement. Advocates of this viewpoint believe that AI can significantly augment human capabilities, tackle complex challenges, and generate new opportunities across various sectors such as healthcare, transportation, and education. They dismiss doomsday scenarios and emphasize AI's positive potential, encouraging a focus on building and innovation rather than fear. This techno-optimism highlights the transformative power of artificial intelligence, envisioning a future where machines handle both cognitive and physical tasks, allowing humans to engage in more meaningful activities. The Utopian perspective underscores the belief that AI will lead to unprecedented wealth and economic growth without decline, fostering an environment where technology enhances overall quality of life.
Conversely, the pessimistic viewpoint raises alarms about AI's potential negative ramifications on society, including job displacement, ethical dilemmas, privacy erosion, and increased social inequalities. Pessimists argue that without careful regulation and management, AI could result in unintended consequences with significant risks. Concerns about imminent extinction arise from fears surrounding superintelligent AI that could threaten humanity's existence. Additionally, there are worries about disruptive societal changes that may not lead to extinction but could cause substantial upheaval—manifesting in job losses, social manipulation, privacy violations, algorithmic bias, and existential threats posed by autonomous weapons. This dystopian perspective emphasizes the adverse effects of AI on employment markets and society at large.
To navigate these contrasting views effectively, it is crucial to prioritize transparency, explainability, and ethical considerations in AI development. By proactively addressing these concerns, we can mitigate potential risks while ensuring that the benefits of AI are realized with minimal negative impacts on society.
Regarding the AI era (2022 and beyond), while there was significant underground work on AI prior to this time, a revolutionary development emerged publicly in November 2022: ChatGPT by OpenAI. The release of ChatGPT marked a landmark event that brought large language models and conversational AI into mainstream public consciousness. This introduction represented a significant milestone in making advanced language models accessible and user-friendly. With its free and intuitive interface, ChatGPT democratized access to sophisticated AI technology. Its rapid adoption—attracting over a million users within weeks—showcased its versatility across tasks such as writing, analysis, coding solutions, math problem-solving, and creative expression. This surge in interest ignited widespread conversations about the future of AI across mainstream media, policy discussions, classrooms, and households while amplifying debates about AI risks and ethics.
Moreover, ChatGPT's success triggered a competitive shift among tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta as they raced to develop their conversational AI offerings to remain competitive. This evolution raised important questions about the future of knowledge work, education, content creation, and the dynamics of human-AI collaboration—fueling both optimism for new possibilities and concerns about potential pitfalls. Although large language models were not entirely novel by 2022, ChatGPT's public release marked a pivotal moment that accelerated timelines for AI development while sharpening focus on its societal impacts—heralding an era of widely available AI assistants. Consequently, this transformation also birthed new professions centered around leveraging these advanced technologies effectively.
In my next post, I will discuss "
Prompt Engineering: The AI-Birthed Profession". ; follow Quest DigiTech on Facebook, YouTube, and the Yoruba version (Ilepa Ayabiasa) also on Facebook and YouTube channel to stay updated. Please subscribe and share. Thanks.
