Convenience vs. Consequences

Some days ago I came across a YouTube short about physical exercises similar to traditional Indian methods of performing various household chores such as dough kneading, churning milk, sweeping with broom etc.

Now we have machines that help us perform these tasks in a much shorter time consuming lesser efforts. For instance, we have dough kneaders, blenders and vacuum cleaners making our lives easier. Nevertheless, watching that short video made me question myself if we have traded our physical fitness in exchange of ease. Perhaps, yes.

I have not fact-checked this, but my general observation is that this generation feels more lethargic as compared to the people of previous generation. They were in a better physical health than us.

The present era is marked by the dominance of technology in all aspects of life. Be it household chores, agriculture, medicine, education or any other industry the machines have replaced human labour.

Though Artificial Intelligence has been with us for many years, yet the arrival of AI tools like ChatGPT and image creators have blown us away. The work of several months can be accomplished within seconds.

The other day, my brother was telling me that he was working on a code for quite some time. At a point, he had an idea to ask ChatGPT. He said the thing that took him several hours was created by AI in a moment.

Similarly, I had trouble solving a mathematics problem. As per my evaluation I was applying all the rules correctly but the answer was incorrect. I was thinking whom I should ask. Meanwhile, the utterance of my son gave me the idea to ask ChatGPT. I not only got the understood my mistake but also something new about the rules that I never knew.

There are numerous instances where ChatGPT facilitates us beyond various limits. There is no doubt that it saves us a lot of time that we can utilize in other useful activities.

Nonetheless, despite having all the benefits it is a potential threat to various human skills. The ease of getting ultimate answers is likely to draw many of us away from reading and learning from other sources. In this way, our vision is going to be narrowed.

At various instances, I have experienced that the answer given by AI was not correct. Had I not have the prior knowledge, I might have believed the answer to be correct.

Moreover, the potential benefits of such tools are dependent on the knowledge and skills of its users. AI merely answers the questions we ask. It doesn’t give any other response based on wisdom. In other words, if we fail to ask the needed question, we won’t be getting the best response.

On the other hand, discussing something with a wise human companion is likely to bring us something that broadens our vision and breaks the matrix of thoughts we have put ourselves in. The machine doesn’t have the potential to do it.

While I understand the potential damage this tool is likely to bring, I acknowledge it endless benefits too. There is a need to consciously decide to be not solely dependent on them and keep on honing our skills.

Several machines have become threat to mankind in some way, I accept. They have brought benefits in some other way. Nonetheless, there are certain AI developments that make no sense to me. I don’t see any benefit in them, only harm.

Specifically , I am referring to the creation of fake video and audio. I believe humanity has never been in the need of any such development.

What’s the point or benefit of reproducing someone else’s voice to say the words they never uttered? This technology can only be used to harm others, as illustrated in a novel where the murderer uses the husband’s voice on the phone to trap the wife.

The same applied to videos. Apps already exist that can animate a still photo in a way as though there himself is speaking or acting. I am sure more sophistication is in progress. Using such videos anyone’s reputation can be damaged in the society.

In conclusion, while I understand the pros and cons of AI development in several domains, I am firmly opposed to the development of fake audio and video synthesis. I believe they are only to bring harm to people.

●●●●■●●●●

Image created by me on Bing image creator
This post is my entry to Hl-featured contest.