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Tag: AI

  • Artificial Intelligence: How It Is Transforming Society, Part two

    Artificial Intelligence: How It Is Transforming Society, Part two

    Part 1 of this article presented an overview of artificial intelligence and its potential for good, with some mention of its potential harms. As to its potential good, we should remember that Allah, in the Holy Qur’an, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of acquiring knowledge and understanding the magnificent creation and the purpose of life. The Qur’an mentions various engineering technologies of ancient times such as body armor as taught by Allah (21:80) to Prophet Dawood (a.s.), dams as inspired by the mercy of Allah to Dhu’l Qarnayn (18:98), and boats, as Prophet Nuh (a.s.) was instructed by Allah to build one under His observation and inspiration (11:37). These technical skills were used for the purposes set forth by Allah. Therefore, there shouldn’t be hesitation in utilizing AI and other scientific advancements as long as they do not contradict with the Qur’an and Sunnah but instead fulfil the purpose of life as designated and detailed by Allah SWT.

    It is thus not useful to debate the permissibility of the AI technologies, but rather to focus on how we can use them for the betterment of humanity while adhering to the principles of Islam. While it is true that AI would replace a vast number of jobs, it would also bring countless benefits in all fields. Throughout history, we have seen innovations such as the wheel, steam engine, electricity, and computer technology transforming our world. While computer technology, for example, displaced many workers, it created many more opportunities and millions of previously unknown jobs in software engineering, information processing, communications, data analytics etc. Essentially, it’s now accepted that computer technologies are an integral part of most businesses in the West as they rely on computers for communications, marketing, data management, etc.

    Extending these capacities, AI can automate repetitive tasks, enabling us to focus on more complex work to increase productivity. It can also analyze vast amounts of data to provide insights that humans may not be able to identify and can lead to faster and better decision-making. In healthcare, for example, doctors can be aided with AI technologies to diagnose and treat diseases more accurately and efficiently. AI can help protect workers doing hazardous jobs such as working in mines, on oil rigs, or in chemical plants. It can also be used to mitigate the effects of natural disasters with early warning systems, disaster response planning, analysis and optimization of evacuation routes, etc. These are just a few of countless examples. Overall, rather than fearing AI, we should embrace its potential to push the bounds of knowledge and technology to improve our lives.

    That being said, there are multiple warnings from industry leaders about the rapid pace at which AI is developing and the need to put some controls in place. The power and impact of AI on society are significant and could potentially have a devastating impact on humanity if we are not careful and prudent. It is now front and center on the list of other threats faced by humanity — nuclear weapons, genetic engineering, bioengineering, climate change, etc.

    The threat of AI is real and paramount. In March, tech industry leaders, professors, and scientists, including Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk, wrote an open letter calling on “all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.” Currently the letter has more than 27,000 signatures. The letter says, in part, “As stated in the widely-endorsed Asilomar AI Principles, Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth, and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources. Unfortunately, this level of planning and management is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.”

    Some potential risks involving the advancement of AI include the following:
    • An unprecedented level of job loss in a short period of time: an article at Business Insider lists 10 areas where AI might replace humans: “tech jobs (coders, computer programmers, software engineers, data analysts); media jobs (advertising, content creation, technical writing, journalism); legal industry jobs (paralegals, legal assistants); market research analysts; teachers; finance jobs (financial analysts, personal financial advisors); [Wall Street] traders; graphic designers; accountants; customer service agents.” AI can replace routine, repeatable, and even many creative jobs, potentially causing a collapse of the socio-economic structure as the encroachment by AI will happen faster than human ability to learn new skills and adapt.

    • Economic disparities could increase: linked to job displacement is the possibility that use of AI could widen the gap between rich and poor. Lawrence Katz, a labor economist at Harvard, is worried about AI’s effects on income inequality. “It’s likely to continue to reduce labor’s share of income as many tasks get automated,” he said.

    • Negative effects on physical and mental health: as jobs are displaced and the use of AI permeates lives in countless ways, human beings may experience stress and uncertainty. The rapidity and magnitude of change can cause or exacerbate physical and mental health issues. Additionally, the use of AI-powered machines for physical labor can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle for individuals displaced from those jobs, also having a negative effect on physical and mental health.

    • The threat to privacy rights and personal autonomy: Dr. Mark van Rijmenam cautions, “AI presents a challenge to the privacy of individuals and organisations because of the complexity of the algorithms used in AI systems. As AI becomes more advanced, it can make decisions based on subtle patterns in data that are difficult for humans to discern. This means that individuals may not even be aware that their personal data is being used to make decisions that affect them.” Deepfakes (images, audio, and video content) created by hoaxers, exploiters, and mischief-makers using AI is another emerging area of concern, challenging not only privacy but also personal autonomy.

    • The use of AI in military operations: this could potentially lead to out-of-control situations where machines powered by AI make life-or-death decisions at lightning speed without human oversight or ability to intervene. Other risks involving the use of AI in the military include accidental errors, vulnerability to hacking, escalation of hostilities, and violations of international law.

    How Can We Prepare?

    The question we should be asking ourselves is this: How do we prepare for the enormous power that AI brings to humanity? There’s no escape from the ongoing advancement of this technology, even if we wanted to. If we’re not ready for it, we risk a lot of trouble ahead. Here are some ideas on how we can prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution:

    • To remain relevant in the modern world, it’s crucial to invest in educating individuals across the Muslim ummah in disciplines such as mathematics, biology, physics, electrical and computer engineering, psychology, philosophy, and economics.

    • AI’s unprecedented rate of advancement will hardly leave any profession “safe” from its grab. To remain competitive, it’s important to have a smarter approach to jobs and professions than simply mimicking mechanical steps. Instead, one should strive to gain a solid conceptual understanding of the foundation of their field and its interconnections with other disciplines. As stated in an article in startupgrind, it is important to “develop critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to link disparate fields to find creative solutions to complex problems. Interdisciplinary knowledge will become more vital to viability.”

    • In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, experts in AI will be in high demand. By cultivating a pool of Muslim AI experts, we can ensure that the ummah is well-prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by this rapidly evolving field. Muslim AI experts can also bring to the table, or at least add their weight to the position and conviction that AI must be handled in the most moral and ethical way, and for the common good.

    • To promote the moral and ethical usage of AI and guard against its abuse, we must engage with civic and political institutions to establish norms and legislation. Although not perfect, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides an example of how we can contain disasters through international agreements. We should follow this model to create an international agreement for the responsible use of AI, preventing any uncontrolled and damaging outcomes.

    While it may seem daunting to compete against such advanced technology as artificial intelligence, humans have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and ability to adjust to new technologies throughout history. We are capable of creating and controlling technology that enhances our lives and makes work more efficient.

    AI presents real risks that we cannot ignore. As khalifa, or guardian, on this Earth, humans are responsible for taking care of the Earth, the world and all its creatures, and humanity. This responsibility includes approaching the development and deployment of AI in a responsible and cautious manner, with a focus on minimizing its potential negative impacts on society. We must be mindful of our accountability and ready to stand in front of Allah and answer to Him for how we have cared for the Earth.

    Artificial intelligence, no matter how advanced its intelligence might become, it cannot replace humanity. Allah SWT created humans with spirit and heart, intelligence and sentience. This complexity, this miracle of consciousness and self-awareness cannot be created by humans in AI. Allah SWT tells us in the Qur’an, “It is He who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing; and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections that you might give thanks” (16:78).

  • Artificial Intelligence: How It Is Transforming Society

    Artificial Intelligence: How It Is Transforming Society

    “AI could spell the end of the human race.”

    “AI presents profound risks to society and humanity.”

    Prominent leaders in science and technology such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have issued warnings about the potential risks of AI. But what exactly is AI, and what are the imminent threats we face from it?

    Artificial Intelligence or, in short, AI, is widely recognized as the driving force behind the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and is transforming the world and human society in front of our eyes. AI, however, did not simply appear all of a sudden or out of nowhere. It is the result of centuries of scientific and philosophical inquiry, drawing on fields such as philosophy, mathematics, logic, biology, neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, engineering (computer, electronic, and mechanical), and economics. In fact, AI first appeared in computer science over 70 years ago. The first Artificial Neural Network or, in short, Neural Net, was built in 1950 at Harvard by two undergrad students, Marvin Minsky and Dean Edmonds. However, the term, “Artificial Intelligence,” was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy in a conference held at Dartmouth College. The goal was to find ways to make machines that “use language, form abstractions and concepts, solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans, and improve themselves.”

    AI can be understood as an academic discipline that aims to create machines that can mimic human intelligence, and human behavior in particular contexts. But AI, at least in the present time, cannot simulate the complexity or the nuance of human intelligence and behavior. It is important to note that the quest for human-enhancing technology is not new. From simple tools like sticks to complex inventions like airplanes and computers, humans have always sought to boost their capabilities by imitating the natural world around them or pursuing innovations to fulfill human needs or increase productivity. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, once compared his Macintosh computer to a bicycle, as both are accelerators of human ability, allowing us to move faster and, in the case of the computer, to process information more effectively. Therefore, while AI may seem like a revolutionary and disruptive technology, it is ultimately just another step in the ongoing evolution of human knowledge, technological innovation, problem-solving, and progress.

    One of the important tools used by AI is algorithms. An algorithm is a set of instructions for performing a task or solving a problem. It may be as simple as sorting data or as complex as controlling and coordinating the movements of robots by interacting with the environment, processing sensory data, and making decisions in real time. It’s interesting to note that the term “algorithm” derives from the Latinized version of the name al-Khwarizmi, a Muslim mathematician. In 820 AD he was the first to generalize the solving of algebraic equations using the principles of equality, as detailed in his book, “The Book on Calculation by Restoration and Reduction.” Thus, he is often credited as the inventor of algorithms. Models are another important tool of AI. Representing the relationship between different variables in a dataset, a model allows the AI to make predictions or decisions based on the data.

    The Rebirth of AI

    AI has many branches, such as Computer Vision and Perception Processing, Natural Language Processing, Decision Making, and Robotics, among others. Combining them all makes a general AI solution, capable of performing complex tasks in diverse domains. Whether narrow or general AI, there are applications in many fields including healthcare, finance, the military, engineering, transportation, education, scientific research, and entertainment.

    However, until the 1990s, computer scientists were constrained by having to manually train Neural Net models. Thus, such training couldn’t go beyond hundreds or thousands of nodes and parameters because it was not practically and economically possible to handcraft large Neural Nets and tweak their values manually. Then, the breakthrough came. With the advent of Machine Learning (ML), scientists were able to economically train AI models (like Neural Nets and others) with huge amounts of training datasets. This paradigm shift was the rebirth of AI. Now, a Neural Net model is built with millions or billions of nodes and parameters and trained using terabytes of data. As an example, consider the most recent sensation in AI, the ChatGPT. While its parameter count and training dataset are not disclosed by OpenAI (the company and its research laboratory which created and maintains ChatGPT), it is similar to the GPT-3 language model which has 175 billion parameters and is trained on a dataset of hundreds of terabytes or more.

    Where Might This Lead?

    It should be all good to embrace AI with open arms as a hi-tech accelerator just like a computer, right? Actually, it’s not that black and white and many alarm bells are going off now. With the advent of cheap computing power and the abundance of data gathered on the internet, it became possible to turn that old-time Neural Nets into the current state of complexity and potential in which AI can reach of point of exceeding human intelligence in such way that humans lose control of it, and just as much harm as benefit can result.

    It’s potentially the most transformational technology of all time, to date, far more than the combustion engine or general-purpose computing technologies. As the saying goes for science, “the sky’s the limit.” What we’re witnessing today with AI is just the tip of the iceberg. However, we are currently operating in the realm of Artificial Narrow Intelligence or ANI, also known as “Weak AI,” which is purpose-built for tasks such as face recognition, email spam detection, search engines, language translation and conversation, autonomous driving, etc.

    The real breakthrough will occur when Artificial General Intelligence or AGI, also known as “Strong AI,” becomes widely available (Boston Dynamics Atlas or SPOT robots are glimpses of what AGI can achieve). Once that happens, it will be like having another entity that lives side-by-side with us, capable of doing what we can do and maybe even surpassing our capabilities (that would be Artificial Super Intelligence or ASI). The possibilities are endless and thus come with substantial risks. The biggest concern is that AI may eventually make human beings seem obsolete once it starts self-improvement. Some are saying that the creation and evolution of AI cannot be undone. Fearing where all this may lead is a natural reaction. While artificial intelligence, in and of itself, is neutral, it can be put to good or ill use. And there are those who warn that AI, as it becomes more sophisticated, might, itself, turn against humanity and intend to do it harm. However, if someone suggests that AI is inherently evil then I would argue that there’s nothing in AI that makes it inherently evil or harmful. From an Islamic perspective, things like an interest-based economy, gambling, alcohol, and drugs are inherently harmful to humans and create many subsequent evils. It’s up to humans to use AI for good or evil.

    The second part of this article will focus on the impacts AI will have on human beings and society, and ways to prepare for the enormous power that AI will bring, including safeguarding against the human use of AI for harmful or evil purposes. It will touch on the need to put controls in place to steer this technology for the good of humanity.