Sci-fi movies about artificial intelligence machines destroying humanity make people lose faith in them and fear being taken over by artificial intelligence. A Monmouth University poll in late January found that only 9% of Americans believe that artificial intelligence (AI) machines will help, rather than harm, society. Meanwhile, in a study with the same set of questions in 1987, only a fifth of participants said that AI is a technology that fulfills positive human values
The results of the two surveys show that people’s trust in artificial intelligence is decreasing every day. After 35 years of separation, humanity increasingly lacks faith in the positive impact of artificial intelligence, although this technology is constantly being updated and improved.
The More Popular Artificial Intelligence, The More People Fear
A week ago, a Pew Research Center study also asked a similar set of questions and identified people’s concerns about AI. Only 15% of respondents said they are interested in AI and not worried when it invades their lives.
The common thread between the Monmouth University and Pew Research Center survey is that most respondents say they are confused about whether AI is good or bad.
“It’s good that humans are wary of AI. It’s the right thing to have,” said Meredith Broussard, a professor at New York University. According to him, we cannot create an AI program that replaces humans to make important decisions such as how to evaluate student grades and diagnose diseases and prescribe medication to patients…
Most respondents echoed Broussard’s point, saying that AI still has a place in everyone’s personal lives, but not in everything.
Many people believe that AI should not be used in military aircraft to distinguish enemies from teammates or in unmanned weapons and food supply trucks. Meanwhile, many researchers say that AI-powered machines could be used for dangerous jobs like mining…
However, the more artificial intelligence is implemented in life, the more people fear the power of this technology, reported the Washington Post.
AI expert Roman Yampolsky of the University of Louisville says he is concerned that technologists continue to create machines that can think like humans and apply their knowledge to everything from entertainment to complex tasks that only humans could previously do.
“We’re in the middle of a battle of technologies that haven’t been fully mastered yet. That’s exactly what worries me,” Yampolsky said.
Artificial Intelligence Is Popping Up Everywhere Without Our Knowledge
According to the Washington Post, artificial intelligence has appeared everywhere in everyone’s lives.
It can be product recommendations on Amazon, spam and irrelevant emails popping up everywhere to autoresponder programs on websites and service platforms. In fact, a Pew survey concluded that people are generally unaware that all of these apps are AI-based.
Patrick Murray, director of research at Monmouth University, said he once asked his students how often they use AI. Among them, very few people admit to using AI in their daily activities. But when he started listing specific AI applications like Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri, many students realized that AI is everywhere.
According to The Washington Post, the term artificial intelligence is applied widely, from popular tools like search engines to advanced software that can predict natural disasters and crime at the slightest hint. However, people’s preoccupation with modern applications of artificial intelligence makes them fear and ignore its benefits.
According to expert Broussard, people’s skepticism towards artificial intelligence is partly influenced by the intelligent machines that destroy humanity that appear in science fiction books and films. But he believes the destructive power of AI in these businesses is overstated. “I’m concerned about the misuse of artificial intelligence to track technologies and people’s increasing reliance on artificial intelligence in management systems, leaving male and female workers with insufficient rest. But I don’t think they will destroy humanity terribly like in the movies.”
