Technology is constantly evolving. New advancements emerge Every few years, changing how we live and work. From the advent of the internet to the rise of smartphones, each new development has brought with it new possibilities and challenges. In the recent past, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the most significant and transformational tech advancements, with the potential to revolutionize various industries, from healthcare to finance.
Funnily, each time there is a leap, we experience an interesting dichotomy between the idea that it will make our lives more convenient and the impending hysteria that technology will eat away our jobs and freedom all together.
As someone who is fascinated by technology, I am aware of some of the legitimate concerns surrounding ownership and plagiarism in AI-generated content. As Artificial Intelligence becomes more advanced, the question of who owns the creations produced by these machines becomes increasingly questionable. Additionally, the concerns raised by artists surrounding AI in their fields are also valid. Technology has the potential to fundamentally change the way art is created and consumed. But their concern is not just about creation; they also argue that the source material from which AI analyzes, learns, and produces content, i.e. original existing artwork, is not consented for. This raises questions of ethics which are ever-increasing. It is important that we address these concerns and ensure that the technology is developed in an ethical and responsible manner.
There are concerns about the economic impact on jobs. AI may eat away at humans’ jobs. However, it is important to note that AI is not a replacement for human creativity and ingenuity. It is rather a tool of empowerment or value addition. For example, Artificial Intelligence algorithms can generate ideas and suggest creative solutions based on data analysis and pattern recognition. This can save time and provide new perspectives that humans may not have considered.
AI-powered tools also assist with image manipulation and video editing, freeing up time for creative professionals to simplify minor jobs and focus on more high-level jobs. However, with that capability, we create more concerns.
In this age of misinformation, one of the biggest challenges to overcome is deep fakes and their consequences. In a country where social media plays a significant role in shaping public opinion, deep fakes can be used to spread false information and incite unrest and violence, damaging the fragile democracy and public trust in institutions. To address this problem, there is a need for an increase in fact-checking efforts to help identify deep fakes and counteract their spread. It is essential to have trained professionals who can recognize the signs of deep fakes and can work to verify the authenticity of content that is being circulated on social media. By increasing fact-checking efforts, we can ensure that the public is informed and that political messaging remains honest and accurate.
Now that we have largely covered all of the concerns let’s talk about some mainstream use cases. With the emergence of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and Dall-E in particular, prompt writing has been increasingly emphasized as a new role for creatives in the industry. Prompt writing involves crafting engaging and compelling prompts that can be used to train AI algorithms to generate text in a particular style or tone. This is an important role because AI-generated content is only as good as the prompts it’s trained on. Skilled prompt writers can help ensure that AI-generated content aligns with the brand’s messaging and tone while also being creative and engaging.
Prompt writing also requires a deep understanding of the target audience and their preferences. By crafting prompts that resonate with the target audience, creatives can ensure that the AI-generated content is more effective in engaging potential consumers. Furthermore, prompt writing can help improve the efficiency and accuracy of AI-generated content, saving loads of time and resources for creative agencies and their clients.
AI enables people to venture and explore interests that they otherwise might not be capable of due to limited skillset or a lack of detailed understanding. For instance, I have had an idea for a choice-based game application for years, but I don’t have enough resources to hire a developer. With my superficial coding knowledge and ChatGPT, creating that game in a couple of hours is possible. What this means is that while it may not be the perfect solution, it is good enough to create a proof of concepts for many ideas that have been sitting with people for a long.
There is a lot more to write on the use cases of Artificial Intelligence in the digital world, but unfortunately, I only have limited space today.
There have been ground-breaking advancements in healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sectors as well. Perhaps someone well-versed in those circuits can elaborate further on those.
To conclude my thoughts, while there are a number of concerns surrounding the AI industry, it is clear that it is here to stay, and it will only improve itself, whether it is image generation programs, text generators, or testing algorithms. The early adoption of technology is crucial for its positive impact on a country’s infrastructure. It enables a more efficient and effective way of doing things and can help drive economic growth.
Pakistan’s history of late adoption of technology has resulted in the country missing out on many benefits. For example, the delay in adopting 3G and 4G technology had a negative impact on Pakistan’s infrastructure and economy. While other countries were already benefiting from the improved connectivity and communication, Pakistan lagged behind, leading to a lack of investment and missed opportunities.
There is much to be said on how exactly we can leverage Artificial Intelligence technology to boost our digital efforts and our economy, but that’s a conversation for another time. There is hope that a growing, youthful workforce in a thriving startup ecosystem can leverage this discovery to create a progressive, effective, and prosperous future. The future is digital, and the only way to get there is by strengthening systems that enable it.