Living in the Age of AI

Watching the documentary In the Age of AI opened my eyes to rapidly AI has been integrated into our everyday lives. Before the video, I wasn't fully aware of the prevalence of AI and just how common it is being used in the United States, let alone its even greater presence in China. 

One component I found particularly surprising was that China has bypassed credit cards and now uses facial recognition for payments. This stood out to me because I never even thought of that becoming an option for payment which is a bit frightening now that I am aware as it puts into perspective just how much AI is taking over. It made me think about the potential of the United States adapting facial recognition for payments in the future as well which would hurt credit card companies and lead to significant job losses. 

I was also shocked to learn that China uses facial recognition to identify and fine jaywalkers. This ties into the talk of China's social credit program, which would give people numbers using facial recognition based on their behavior in public. A high score would result in perks such as discounts while a low score could result in punishments such as being banned for using public transportation. I think this can be a really great system because it rewards good behavior which could result in a more filled society of people with integrity. However, on the other hand it is alarming to know that you are constantly being watched and scanned. 

Another interesting element from the documentary was the story of AlphaGo computer program developed by Google. AlphaGo learned the rules of the game Go using its database of historical games to figure out how to win. The public debut was a landmark moment unveiling deep learning, a form of AI, mimicking human brain neral networks. They tested the system against  Lee Sedol, the greatest Go player of all time and the algorithm beat Sedol in four of five matches. This test proved that AI could gather a great deal of data beyond what a human can handle, and use that data to teach itself how to predict an outcome. The Chinese government even referred to this as the "Sputnik movement" highlighting their mission to lead in AI by 2025.

Overall, I think AI is an incredible tool that we can utilize for so many different things, just as outlined in the video using AI for facial recognition, board games, self-driving trucks, and more. However, it is alarming to know that AI is becoming more and more prominent in our everyday lives taking away from personal interactions and employment for individuals.