Alan Turing is generally considered the father of Artificial Intelligence based on his work in abstracting and defining a machine that can learn from experience. He also devised the famous Turing Test, which we can use to distinguish between person and machine.
Recently, I’ve seen a lot of fear-mongering over whether AI will become sentient and take over.
It won’t, don’t worry. At least not in its current form.
Computers are much better than humans at some things — large data sets, calculations, pattern matching, feedback, and control — but a machine cannot think, at least not the way we humans do.
Much like we can fly in an airplane, but we still can’t fly. Not really. Not like a bird does.
“But now AI can read emotions and react.”
Reading emotions is mathematical pattern-matching, not emotional intellect.
“AI is now creative and generating art.”
DALL-E is a cool AI that can create images from a text string. However, is it art without intention, a message, or purpose? DALL-E isn’t trying to say anything with its images. It’s just assembling from a pre-existent database of images based on its programming rules.
I’m not worried AI will become sentient and take over. I worry about what certain humans do with this AI β controlling attention, creating division, deep fakes, gaming the system, etc.
Why do they use AI like this? Incentives.
Point your worry in the right direction.