Over the past 70 years, calculators have made life easier for accountants and those involved in numerical calculations. Then, pocket computers, desktop personal computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones spread rapidly and flooded our everyday lives. And that’s not all, with the creation of open sources of information, direct access to all kinds of information became possible. Screens replaced encyclopedias and books. What is surprising is the speed with which artificial intelligence (AI) applications spread and became popular. From the scientific use of computers by specific users for a specific purpose, today, millions of people have access, almost without restrictions. Moreover, through ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft’s Copilot Assistant applications, specialized information, text processing, and suggestion creation are possible for almost everyone.
Is all this technological progress manageable, or is it a dangerous challenge for people? Critical questions are raised, such as whether the speed with which answers are given based on the stored data of artificial intelligence discourages mental effort and thus dulls human thinking in the long term. The flood of information on a subject without prior research and mental processing probably works against comprehensive understanding and the deepening of knowledge. Scientists, moreover, emphasize that it should be carefully investigated how the development of artificial intelligence is connected to the degradation of people’s critical ability. There is strong evidence that the systematic use of large language models for writing reports makes users lazy and use verbatim texts that have emerged in this way, without checking their completeness, quality, and reliability. Scientific research also raises serious questions about the future, whether the impressive short-term gains from the use of artificial intelligence may cause serious long-term damage. Is artificial intelligence ultimately a valuable tool in the service of man, or an emerging threat to humanity? Unfortunately, the countries with the best know-how, China and America, instead of cooperating to address negative consequences and risks, are competing to see who will have the upper hand.
In Silicon Valley, scientists estimate that in a few years, AI will be better than the average human in all cognitive processes. If this estimate is confirmed, the impact will be as great as anything else to date on the global economy. It is a fact that in recent years, developments in the field of artificial intelligence have exceeded all predictions. Moreover, the fierce competition of technical companies specializing in artificial intelligence has resulted in a rapid improvement in the speed, efficiency, and quality of results. Enormous sums are already being spent on research and development of artificial intelligence applications. It is even possible that by 2027, a model will have been developed that will be 1000 times more powerful than GPT4.
Until 1700 AD, the global economy grew at a slow pace every century; after the Industrial Revolution, the rate of economic growth accelerated dramatically. Life expectancy has increased, infant mortality has decreased, and fertility has improved. Larger populations, larger pools of new ideas and talent have resulted in the economy growing steadily at around 2% per year today. The progress of artificial intelligence seems to be accelerating and improving, without limits. Let us consider, however, a possible scenario. If smart computers bring about technological developments without human intervention, and these achievements are used to build even more sophisticated machines, this could result in wealth accumulating at an unprecedented speed. Who will manage this wealth and with what logic? Who will control the purposefulness and correctness of decisions, systemic errors, or paradoxical conclusions? Who will be able to intervene to correct or reverse a wrong course? All this development that was made with the aim of making human life easier may end up marginalizing, alienating, or even capturing him. Experts in artificial intelligence are concerned about many of the things mentioned, but most are reassuring since they consider that artificial intelligence is a human achievement and should be treated as a strategic partner and not as a competitor.