From the Other Side of an Artificially Intelligent Internet Civilization

When it comes to the topic of ‘Artificial Intelligence’, the world divides into two. While one side is all for it with only praises and influencing the uninitiated to try it out, the other side maintains an apocryphal sentiment. Of course, both sides have their own experiences to relate.

Those in favour see the Internet of Everything as just another much-needed advancement in technology, just like mobile phones, vehicles and home appliances which pretty much faced the same end-of-the-world attitude at the time of launch. Those against lament the loss of privacy, security and authority to an already interfering system. And not without reason.

The Internet is already overdosed with information, so much that we are saturated and unable to retain the data we need. The ability to ponder over an issue and work out solutions has become a fast disappearing human trait. The brain is now no more than a mere prototype for artificial intelligence devices to observe, mimic and adapt. With personal assistants at your beck and call, from setting reminders to deciding where to eat out, our dependency on technology is making us a weaker race.

Speaking of virtual assistants, these are now omnipresent and have been extremely helpful. Most websites have chatbots to answer your queries. Cortana, Siri and Google Assistant enable us to do many of our day-to-day tasks quicker and easier. The primary application of IoT since inception has been home automation. Why, we have hands-free voice devices designed especially for homes. ‘Alexa’, Amazon’s much heralded artificial intelligence device, also known as Amazon Echo is the size of a tennis ball can. Dot is a much cheaper version( Alexa enabled) and resembles a hockey puck. Alexa can play music, recite recipes, announce the day’s weather, read news, order an Uber and can even crack a joke or two. She speaks eight different languages as well. Similar to Echo is the Google Home, powered by the novel Google Assistant.

To understand the basic difference between these two intelligent devices, all you need to do is ask them these two questions: ‘Where is Thailand? What is its capital?’ Let me predict their responses for you. Alexa would reply with a “Sorry, I couldn’t find the answer to your question” while Google would say “Thailand is in south-east Asia. Bangkok is its capital”. This is because of Alexa’s inability to connect consecutive questions, pointing at a limited learning algorithm. However, Google’s amazing search engine capability backfires on itself when it confidently answers a question though its answer isn’t right. Beyond answers, Alexa can handle a wide variety of devices efficiently. But one silent problem still resonates which I’ll phrase like this: ‘It should be in your line of attention only when you need it.’ In other words, it should receive your data only when it has to and not become one big, snoopy machine.

But the reason why I wouldn’t invite them to my threshold is not an outright refusal of artificial intelligent devices intruding my personal space. It is the fear of letting in things that have a potential to turn my world upside down. Let me illustrate my point with a simple example. Early 2016 saw a minor security scare when a guest staying at friend’s Alexa-enabled place started ordering things online and changing the timer settings of the air conditioning and oven out of curiosity and pure fascination. It triggered two events. One, when these events were reported on TV, the news reporter announced, ‘Perhaps the new catchphrase of the decade is “Alexa, order me an Alexa”’. This caused Echos and Dots within hearing range of TVs to instantly place orders on Amazon, though it wasn’t completed. Two, the host in context had configured their oven to cook fries by the time he comes back from work. The change in settings had caused the device to overheat for a longer time and apparently danger was quickly averted. This incident indicates that security in accessibility cannot be compromised as it has a potential to be life threatening.

The Moche people of Peru were a civilisation doomed with a great fear. The possibility of everyday objects like jugs and clothes erupting hands and legs and coming to life. Moche artists painted them everywhere, right from ceramic bowls to their holy temples. But there was a contrast in the way the idea was depicted. Some paintings showed the docile nature of the things which had come to life, with a jug pouring water when summoned and a spoon feeding the diner. Other carvings portrayed them with swords and knives, wreaking havoc in the paths they travel. The abrupt disappearance of the Moche civilisation is accounted to be a result of their technology being limited for the natural calamities they faced. However, one thing can be certain. Whatever stopped the Mocheans from working on their technology neither helped them progress nor saved them when they needed it the most. What we need now is perhaps a dignified approach to artificial intelligence by using them for activities beyond the range of the average human capability. Thus, we can live in peace of not being replaced from existence.