The Age of Artificial Intelligence

 

Artificial Intelligence or AI has become so revolutionary that it has started determining peoples futures and driving competition around the world. The research and advancement of AI has led investors thinking, leading them to determine whether a companies investment in AI determines the long term success of the institution. However It has seemingly came out of nowhere, and like most revolutionary technologies do. I mean think about the smartphone, no one saw it coming until Steve Jobs famous unveiling. However, AI's impact seems to be just as, if not, bigger than the early 2000s internet boom. It is beginning to be implemented into every part of life similar to how the internet and devices were after their creation. But what really is this new technology, AI? 

Artificial Intelligence is essentially a technology that solves question's like a human would, it just doesn't need human assistance in order to do so. Similar to a human, artificial intelligence can take from previous interactions and learn form them in order to improve. Meaning that it is constantly learning as it is used more and more over time. 

AI progress is so critical because as we have talked a little about in class, it has the ability to effectively  increase productivity, reduce effort, and increase multitasking. And as it only continues to get better and better over time it will only further the impact. However it will also lead to some severe complications and problems as time goes on. Mostly in the area of advancing AI too far too fast. 

AI can shape many areas of life as we explained earlier. The first of which being corporations, as they continually take every effort to reduce cost, increase revenue, and drive the bottom line. With the invention of AI, it has created an easiest method of doing so. The biggest cost to corporations is people, and if you can replace people with AI, then you can increase that bottom line. However this is risky to the overall economy because with fewer people needed in corporations, it creates a system where many people no longer possess the skills to get a job. Which would increase unemployment and drive inequality around the world. A leading example of this would be in the trucking/shipping industry, in which self driving cars are a massive threat to put the entire industry. There is also no ideas of what else these people would provide instead of truck driving, as most of them have never had another occupation.  

Secondly would be industries because similar to corporations, industries are led by competition and are able to sell whatever product or service the industry focuses on. If one company starts using AI in order to gain an advantage on the entire industry, all the rest must follow suit in order to compete. If there is no competition, smaller companies will be killed and will lose the ability to attract customers and make money. This example would also only add to the problems of unemployment and inequality of wealth which we're talked about with corporation's. 

Thirdly there are government programs which include things like hospitals, schools, courts, law enforcement, and government. Which can all be impacted by AI as they are being taken advantage of in order to boost effectiveness and provide the greatest societal impact possible. Which sounds great, however, in area's like education, this has become a disaster. This ability to finish work quicker, easier and with less brain power has also been passed on to students. This means that students are not truly learning important information and will not retain the information from assignments they complete. Thus leading to the downfall of our intelligence over time and making us more and more reliant on AI. However we also see the benefits to institutions like hospitals, law enforcement, and government, where AI can be used to save lives and increase the productivity of our public workers.

Finally there are political implication as the united states and china are the leading innovator's in artificial intelligence. It has created an incredible competitive dynamic. With a seeming race to innovate and advance faster than each other. This creates a dangerous dynamic as countries don’t exchange these innovations anymore and would rather attempt to hide them. Not only does this slow the collective work we could be doing, but it also raises tensions. Thus leading to more disagreements between the worlds superpowers. Information being stored and recorded on people lives in each country to help protect national defense, only hurts the individuals. It creates a space with less privacy and less civil liberties. AI allows these countries to collect this information on a much larger scale and with more efficiency than ever before.

With all of this I think artificial intelligence is one of the greatest human achievements we have ever seen. It has the ability to progress our society by leaps and bounds, however similar to Kai Fu Lee, I think we have to be careful about how we move forward. We can continue to drive for advancement and innovation, however we must also call for regulation. Artificial Intelligence has the opportunity for growth and it is an industry and skill that many people don't even understand to this day. Especially the elected officials who get to make the decisions regarding it. So, staying up to date and researching how it works and who is using it is important. We also must work together with China in order to achieve this idealogical society and figure out the dynamic of artificial intelligence in our world because as we have seen in the past, intense competition over technology between world superpowers can lead to disastrous consequences. 

The Loss of Privacy in the Digital Age

As technology advances and the number of users has exponentially increased, mass tracking has become a wide reaching part of modern day life. Governments, corporations, and individuals all use data and information provided by technology to gain knowledge on its subjects. This can range from harmless information on consumer tendencies to personal data such as social security numbers. This is what makes mass tracking and data gathering so scary to billions around the world. The thought that content you don't want in the public can be stored and shared without your consent. This is why privacy and understanding how technology works have become so important in the digital age. As it has become increasingly important for individuals to understand the implications of their technological practices and take action in order to preserve their personal freedoms.

Mass tracking technology is a double edged sword. Although it allows for the constant surveillance of criminals, terrorists, and foreign governments. It also means that everyday individuals are constantly being monitored and manipulated. At the end of the day there is no difference between a terrorist device and your device. They both use the same networks, social media, and sites to communicate. The only difference is that terrorists are being focused by government agencies and law enforcement because of the physical threat they present. But deep down, you are being tracked, recorded, and stored the same way. Although you may not mind the tracking of simple interactions with friends or family harmful, as we continue to use technology more and more it becomes more than just that. In the past two decades, individuals entire lives have moved online, and we nearly store every piece of sensitive and private information on our devices. For example, things like passwords, banking information, photos, cameras, audio, texts, and search history can all be accessed. And despite what some people may say, I think most of us may have more to hide than we think. 

The implication that this violation of personal data comes from the very government that is sworn to represent the people is scary. This violation of trust is nothing short of a breach of our civil liberties and could not have been predicted during the writing of the constitution. It is also unfortunate that many leaders, citizens, and individuals of today are to scared to address the problem. There have been numerous court cases, legal proceedings, and government hearings to address this very issue. Although no tangible progress has been made due to the implications of its decisions, this takes power away from the government and massive corporations that have grown in increasing control over our legislators and political activists. So, if one were to stand up against the majority, they would surely see the end of their power. Thus, discouraging the necessary amount of people to come together to secure and protect our civil liberties online. 

So, what does this mass tracking mean for everyday individuals? Well, I think the first goal in preventing the mass tracking of personal data is knowing that it happens to everyone. Every time we use a device we open ourselves to the possibility of data tracking and exposing our information to hostile parties. Tracking is almost always at play and you never really have privacy. We typically sign that right to privacy away when we skip through and don't read the terms & conditions. However, in such a fast paced and dynamic world, it is often difficult to think about all the data you are possibly exposing. So, in order to limit the impacts, you can start by only providing information that you are comfortable sharing. This helps limit the sensitive and personal information placed anywhere on your device. Also, having responsible passwords and systems to store all your information acts as a defense line against hackers. Take advantage of technologies like VPNs that act as another line of defense against intruders. Ultimately you want your technological presence to run almost like any company, by being able to use technology however you need but also protected all the sensitive information that you possess. Finally, hold government officials and corporations accountable for keeping your information safe. If people work together to show how important and unjust these violations are it will help make privacy the number one priority for governments and tech companies around the world. 

The Dawn of Search Engines & Google

Over time the internet has progressed and become a common tool in todays society. This is a result of the continued access to information and ability to learn new things. Never in history has there been a time where information is so readily available. We use the internet at work, in school, and even in our personal lives to answer the complex and unknown questions of today. Humans used to create libraries containing thousands of books to store the very information that we now have at our fingertips. And although we may take this invention for granted at times, it has progressed our society by leaps and bounds. However, this access to information would be significantly less effective without the technology that allows us to decipher it all, the search engine. 

A search engine is designed to search for information on the internet by searching documents for specific keywords and then returning a list of sources where the keywords are found. This has created meaningful sources about any topic from this endless amount of information. A search engine can almost instantly use the keywords given to find related documents, even when they are complex topics and documents. It also provides little to no errors in the relation between what you are looking for and what is provided. This development has truly revolutionized the technological world and allowed our society to progress at an exponential rate ever since.

The search engine was invented in 1990 by three students at McGill University studying computer science. The name of these three students were Alan Emtage, Bill Heelan, and Peter Deutsch. However this new invention was truly installed and introduced by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they began their search engine journey with BackRub and introduced it on Stanford University's network. BackRub ultimately became Google in 1998, which was a true stepping stone in the industry as they discovered how to monetize this technology. They did this by selling ads associated with search terms. Meaning companies could pay to have their content come up first when users searched terms related to their content. Ultimately, creating a new market for advertising and marketing your business. 

Over time as Google has continued to become more popular over the years, this means that they have had to adapt and innovate within the industry. These advancements in the search engine industry are known as search engine optimization or SEO. SEO is directed toward increasing the quality and quantity of information produced for a user and portraying that information in an easy to use, user interface. Google first implemented a SEO in the early 2000s called their PageRank algorithm. PageRank ranks websites on the number and quality of the links pointing to them. Google's search engine was improved as the quality of results improved. Meaning that users could more easily find exactly what they were looking for. Next, Google focused on updates improving its algorithm and enhancing its searching capabilities. This came in the 2010s, through a series of key updates each year that implemented these changes along with increased security measures. Finally, a key innovation that we have seen in the past year has been the investment and implementation of AI into the Google search engine. One of the few flaws of modern day search engines is when there are few documents or pieces of information related to the users search. However with the implementation of AI, it has the ability to use its algorithm in order to craft information for the user. This offers diverse information that is constantly learning from itself to become better. This has created a dynamic search engine that has further increased its ability to provide useful and beneficial information to all. 

Google has led the industry of search engines and tech for decades. There have been many other search engines that have gained popularity and been implemented on devices. However, they have no comparison to the size and power of Google. Some of these engines include Yahoo, Bing, Duck Duck Go, Yandex, Ecosia, and Baidu. Most of these companies promote themselves as alternatives to their competitors. For example, Duck Duck Go focuses on user privacy and making sure that users personal information isnt sold to third parties. While companies like Baidu focus on foreign countries that Google doesnt have as much control over. Even with this being true Google has been able to maintain a monopoly over the industry and dominate the space. Allowing them to grow and expand their business in other services over time. Investing in Google Chrome which has created a network of that can all be link together and provide diverse services.

Search engines are important today because society now has the ability to provide information and connect resources from around the world. This is especially important for people who use technology in their everyday lives and who would not have access to this data and information without it. Individuals now have the ability to gain knowledge on a topic simply through the use of a device and search engines. In the past it would have taken months or years to gather the knowledge and books necessary to access this incredible amount of information. It's also not just the amount of information out there but it has also altered how businesses and groups reach their audience. Advertising and marketing have changed significantly in the past two decades as CEO's saw the incredible increase in use of search engines. With the number of searches per year in the trillions, it was no question for them to shift focus on this space. Which has proved to be very beneficial for short term and long term growth. 

Now looking at how search engines will change and the changes they bring. What direction do we move in now? Well, it's become clear that AI is the future for search engine abilities, and whichever company or organization that can harness it first will lead the industry. So far in the advancement of AI, Google has led the way for implementation into their search engine and investing in new research. This could change the monopoly that Google has held for decades.n These advancements have caused negative impacts that are only increasing. Some examples the negative impacts that we have seen because of the advancement of AI and search engines include privacy concerns, mental health concerns, and divisiveness. All these concerns have expanded with the advancement of search engines, social media, and the internet over the past few years. So, while we are inspired to see advancements in these areas, we also must make sure we have caution. So, we can continue incredible advancements but in a responsible and logical way.