In the Age of AI

    AI  has pervaded every aspect of modern society. We are so vastly intrigued by the prospect of artificial intelligence that we have entire genres of literature, movies, and TV dedicated to this development.  Yet, new innovations have evolved and shifted considerably in recent years and have taken on vastly different forms in the east and west. For instance, while the US seems to be in the lead for developing the newest computers, China is excelling in futuristic robotics. Technology developers in the US seem to be concerned with how quickly China is catching up to our country in this new-age tech race, and experts have deemed it a sort of "Sputnik moment" of competition. 

    In South Korea, the development of technology has been described as having a"game-like" component. I found the Google DeepMind " Go" competitions very fascinating because they're essentially a form of creative AI that predicts moves on a game board. While in the US, we tend to perceive technology as something to help merely us accomplish tasks, in the east, it is more integrated into everyday life and the creation of the tech itself is viewed as entertainment. In general, young people predominantly seem to be the ones who are innovating and quickly adopting new advanced contemporary tech such as the games of DeepMind "Go". A new generation of ambitious young university students are highly driven and regularly compete to create new ideas. 

    While the development of AI is impressive and astonishing, however, it will likely deepen preexisting inequalities and divide the world further. In the future, computers could learn how to discriminate in the hiring process based on physical features, credit scores, and the like. Also, creations such as self-driving cars and delivery drones diminish opportunities for lower-paying routine jobs such as Uber drivers, and deliverymen. The outsourcing of jobs to AI will more than likely find millions of lower-middle-class citizens unemployed in the coming years. 

    Countless scenarios keep scientists up at night, and TV shows like Netflix's Black Mirror take a fictional and stretched but somewhat plausible look at the potential dangers of emerging technologies. For instance, Season 3 Episode 1 of Black Mirror entitled "Nosedive" explores what might happen if the success of one's social media account determined their access to higher-paying jobs, better housing, and overall improved quality of life. In China, a new system called Zhima Credit has stirred up controversy for its uncanny likeness to the show in its ability to prevent low-ranking consumers from efficient travel, booking luxury hotel rooms, and taking out substantial bank loans. 

    The last two paragraphs got a bit doom and gloom, but as a whole, technology has improved the general quality of our lives. It has allowed us more successful healthcare practices, improved business efficiency, and connected us more than ever across long distances. In our increasingly global economy, new AI developments will likely continue to both amaze and frighten at the hands of new innovation.