In the early 21st century came a revolutionizing arrival that would alter the very course of human existence – the genesis of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This groundwork-breaking technological evolution was reckoned with the unification of human creativity with computational faculties, giving machinery the ability to learn, reason, and adapt. Its arrival has brought with it promises of unprecedented innovation and efficiency amidst debates on ethical implications, social change, danger, and the nature of work and intelligence itself. But it must be said that the introduction of AI with its vast promise and equally complex challenges is a fundamental mark in our collective history, raising questions concerning the technological front that we may expect and its effect on humanity. It is all thanks to the likes of computer scientists, including Alan Turing, Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy, that this journey began some seventy-or-so years ago. It indeed is a catch phrase today-but what does it mean? Explained further, AI describes the ability of machines to replicate certain cognitive-functioning commonly associated with human minds.
And that is AI Spring, which is here for good! The endless computing power, low-cost data storage, acceleration in digitalization, etc., makes India a theater of cultures and history an IT powerhouse, techno dynamism, and an exciting existing confluence of the ancient and contemporary. Endowed with such a marvellous gift that seems set to remain a fingerprint on the path of the nation, it makes the nation's future unwritten, peppered, and astonishing. There are no limits indeed; the horizons are endless, and new hopes are opening up ahead in the present times.
In India, the scene is just unveiling. A survey by Axis My India states that 88% of Indians have less awareness and adoption of AI; the next 9% of people surveyed know about these tools but do not use them. However, only 1% out of 9567 respondents use them often and another 1% use them seldom. The stark reality is, as per a recent Forrester report, that Generative AI is anticipated to take away nearly 2.4 million job roles in the United States and would throw open a considerable impact on another eleven million jobs by the year 2030. It is said that AI in the next 100 years would become super-intelligent therefore flying past human intelligence. This survey revealed that 62% of Indians believe that the skills required for their jobs are slated to experience a radical change every five years.
The Cisco study on AI readiness reveals that only 26% of organizations in India, would be equipped and prepared to launch and implement AI technology; a one-third of these entities were perceived to be Laggards-More than 1% unprepared.A good note is that India stands at number one in penetration of AI skills in the world with a score of 3.09-and, recently, in talent concentration, and in 5th rank in AI scientific publications in the world.Recognizing the potential of AI, the Indian NITO Aayog has set up a National Programme on AI since 2019 to transform economies, guide R and D and needs the proper strategy in the approach to these new and emerging technologies.
When we get up in the morning, any more will be the effect of the AI on what we do first; the immediate plugging into AI functionalities such as face ID, sign up, image recognition, messages, chat apps, social media accounts, air tags, chatbots, smart thermostats, refrigerators, and appliances, google search, digital voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, amazon’s Alexa, Netflix leisure downtime, Instagram, Facebook, twitter, alerts, validation, and rejection-and a series of different applications, some of which tend to be quite surprising indeed- gives an impression that we seem to be all enslaved. A lot of myths and misconceptions hover around AI. They include such very popular myths as: AI is highly intelligent, thinks like and better than a human being, along with being capable of totally replacing any human being, creativity, and jobs; AI does not make mistakes, AI thinks and feels, AI separates fact from fiction; AI is an uprising and yet a solution to centuries-old questions of the world! And the myth track continues ever.
It seems that what the AI systems are assigned to do still remains highly specific. Many jobs or occupations that may be smothered by automation; but in contrast, would create ample of new opportunities demanding for different skills. AI doesn't replace humans; it augments human capacities. It lacks emotion, does not possess feelings, cannot be conscious nor have personal experiences related to an individual, and feels no subjective awareness. It is unconceivable for AI to understand the path of interpretation as one among humans or a replacement for one among humans.AI acts on data and predicts output based on input. "The idea the AI is going to revolt against humanity is more of a Hollywood story than a legitimate worry; so it is a powerful tool but not a solution to every problem under the sun".
Though called merely a powered search engine, it helps access information across several languages and dialects in addition to the need to translate. It has healthcare applications such as diagnostic tools and telemedicine, remote access using robots for error-free medical advice and services, analysis of medical data, and early detection prevention.AI can boost agriculture by providing farmers with analysis for crop management, weather forecasts, pest control, increases in crop yields, and economic feasibility of crop production for farmers.
AI-powered engines on e-commerce platforms provide suggestions for products in a personalized manner according to preferences and behaviors of the individual. Military planning and operations have seen a significant paradigm shift, involving tasks such as mine detection, communication, controlling artillery, and damage management due to accidents or sensor failure, battlefield visualization and deception, early warning systems, and the employment of drones.
This incredible statistic shows that India like it developed 2.6 million STEM graduates eight years ago in 2016, ranking behind China and producing four times as many graduates as its counterpart, the USA. Most unfortunately, almost all of this talent pool is directed towards routine IT development. AI is likely to evolve consistently over the next several years, and both the achievements and challenges keep growing and demanding beyond what we might have expected. The learning and understanding of AI by the coming generation, its application, its utilizations, are all very important.
India's distinct challenges and aspirations, blended with the exponential rise of AI, and its intent to steer the world through this frontier technology, need to balance local needs with global importance. The manner ahead in India, with AI on the consideration, has to take into account AI's existing strengths or a lack thereof within itself. This would demand large-scale transformational intervention supported by the private sector. Efforts should concentrate on the major themes of R and D, data democratization, acceleration of adoption, and reskilling, and privacy, security, ethics, and intellectual property rights problems should imbibe as common denominators while recommending initiatives. The article essentially attempts to clear up matters for easier understanding.
(Vivek Koul)
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