Level up with AI skilling
Advancement and Implementation
of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Advancement and Implementation
of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace, compelling organizations to equip their workforce with the skills required to thrive in a new AI landscape. Our Learning and Development (L&D) department has created a comprehensive AI skilling program aimed at unlocking efficiency and productivity like never before. We’re holding a series of sessions focused on generative AI.
The first of these sessions, 'Advancement and Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)’, was conducted by Dr. Prithwis Mukerjee, Professor and Director, Praxis Business School. A prolific author, he has written several books on digital innovation. Here are the key themes and insights from this session.
Homo sapiens and the emergence of new intelligence
History suggests that Homo sapiens prevailed over other species such as Homo neanderthalensis due to their superior intelligence. Dr. Prithwis Mukerjee compared this scenario with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), the question today being: which form of intelligence, human or AI, will survive and dominate in the future? At present, Homo sapiens and Neo sapiens (AI machines) co-exist. Will they continue to co-exist or will Neo sapiens be the sole survivors?
Evolution of AI
The power of neutral networks
does not come from algorithms
written by humans but emerges from the data they process.
Over the last few decades, we have made significant advancements in both algorithms and computing power. While it once took three hours to generate a sinusoidal wave, access to improved computational capabilities and big data have enabled the creation of more sophisticated AI models. Today, AI can write letters, draw pictures, create music, and do a lot more across different sectors and walks of life. This is possible due to the creation of neural networks, not very different from those in the human brain. How neurons are connected gives rise to different abilities, such as deep feed-forward networks for classification, convolution networks for image recognition, recurrent neural networks for voice translation, and generative adversarial networks for creativity. Large language models (LLMs) are augmented by transformer models that contain around 1.7 to 3 trillion parameters that can be tuned. This allows LLMs to generate human-like text, images, and videos that are indistinguishable from human-generated output.
The power of neural networks, data, backpropagation algorithms, computing power, and training data helps AI models learn and improve over time. Therefore, it would be naive to claim that machine intelligence can never be superior to human intelligence. As AI keeps learning, it will outperform humans in various tasks, from chess to strategy games, and it will devise novel solutions that surpass those that arise out of human capabilities. Human beings have to learn to live with it!
Implications on society
As AI gets smarter and smarter, it has several implications for society:
Productivity: The advent of AI has altered how we perform traditional tasks. For instance, tools like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) can generate code and written content, replacing the need for coding, writing emails, etc. The question of how much longer people would need hard skills such as budgeting, data analysis, coding, keyword search, mapping, etc., arises, as most of these tasks can be done by AI.
Plagiarism: Did you know that there is a boom in e-books in online stores? Many of these have been written with the help of AI and, therefore, may not be original. Moreover, many students are completing their assignments using AI.
Disruption in professions: The disruptive potential of AI is being felt in professional fields as well. For instance, DoNotPay is an AI-powered legal service that can perform tasks traditionally reserved for human lawyers. The powerful capabilities of AI could result in an AI bot soon replacing a human judge. Moreover, human lawyers and judges are limited by the number of hours they work, while ‘AI lawyers’ and ‘AI judges’ would have no such constraints. They could be easily accepted if they prove to be cost-beneficial and efficient.
Productivity: The advent of AI has altered how we perform traditional tasks. For instance, tools like GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) can generate code and written content, replacing the need for coding, writing emails, etc. The question of how much longer people would need hard skills such as budgeting, data analysis, coding, keyword search, mapping, etc., arises, as most of these tasks can be done by AI.
Plagiarism: Did you know that there is a boom in e-books in online stores? Many of these have been written with the help of AI and, therefore, may not be original. Moreover, many students are completing their assignments using AI.
Disruption in professions: The disruptive potential of AI is being felt in professional fields as well. For instance, DoNotPay is an AI-powered legal service that can perform tasks traditionally reserved for human lawyers. The powerful capabilities of AI could result in an AI bot soon replacing a human judge. Moreover, human lawyers and judges are limited by the number of hours they work, while ‘AI lawyers’ and ‘AI judges’ would have no such constraints. They could be easily accepted if they prove to be cost-beneficial and efficient.
What does the future look like?
“No army can stop an idea whose time has come“
–Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
–Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
AI is a quick and voracious learner, and as it becomes more and more advanced, power can transfer from Homo sapiens to Neo sapiens. Dr. Mukerjee highlighted the fundamental role of information sharing and collective learning in human society. Our ability to share knowledge and learn from each other allows us to evolve and accumulate knowledge over generations. This concept extends to AI, where the exchange of information between AI systems, facilitated by APIs, enables continuous learning and improvement.
While we cannot predict the future, Dr. Mukerjee believes there can be a future in which algorithms and AI systems control the kind of information individuals have access to (censorship). They would also be able to track the online behavior of humans, thus compromising their privacy and freedom of expression. He believes that machines and AI will become even more powerful once quantum computing comes into practical use. He explores different options on how AI can be controlled, such as banning AI, government regulations such as Isaac Asimov’s ‘Three Laws of Robotics’ around its usage, economic policies, or using AI to control AI and the practical implications of these methods.
We need to accept that a new species is here to stay, and learn to live with it. Dr. Mukerjee believes that co-existence is the best option. There could either be a tight integration, such as humans becoming cyborgs, or a loose coupling in which humans and AI work together.
With the above insights, participants found Dr. Mukerjee’s session enriching, and engaged in interesting discussions on the emergence of AI and its implications on job creation and task automation. The session concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where Aretes delved deeper into the impact of AI and intelligent automation on not just Areteans’ solutions and services but also on the broader world.
Key takeaways
Strategies for adapting to the future
Strategies for adapting to the future
Continuous learning is critical to staying
ahead of the game
Keeping pace with the evolving digital
landscape is vital
Flexibility and adaptability to global shifts
are paramount for success
Continuous learning is critical to staying
ahead of the game
Keeping pace with the evolving digital
landscape is vital
Flexibility and adaptability to global shifts
are paramount for success