- Intelligence is the ability to know and to understand; it is an intrinsically human characteristic. The survival of the human race depends on our ability to reason, solve problems, take decisions, memorise information, grasp concepts and communicate with others. Natural human intelligence goes hand in hand with the notion of language, which expresses what it perceives. Human intelligence draws on certainties, doubts, emotions, concepts, symbols and values.
- Artificial intelligence, created by humans, attempts to reproduce (or even replace?) natural intelligence. It models human knowledge by using computer technology and mathematical models like the oft-quoted algorithms. Even if AI learns to recognise various different contexts, it is far from reaching the level of sophistication of human intelligence, since it neither understands subtleties of meaning nor possesses interpersonal skills.
- Human beings are social animals with a myriad of interpersonal relationships (family, friends, work colleagues, shopkeepers, suppliers, to mention just a few). Artificial intelligence can help them to perform repetitive tasks by crunching through vast amounts of data, but it cannot replace emotional or social intelligence. AI is therefore a tool, but no more than that.
- And it shouldn’t be forgotten that AI is produced by humans, who have certain mindsets, with their own contradictions and values. It learns, therefore, from its creators without necessarily acquiring a complete understanding of other forms of intelligence and sensitivities. It doesn’t ever see the full picture.
- We are all totally overwhelmed nowadays by the speed of technological progress and swamped by the information produced. It’s difficult to determine what’s important and what’s not. Engulfing people in masses of information might well be an intentional ploy. To be useful, things should be made easy; they need to be simplified, sorted, discarded if superfluous and reduced to what is strictly essential and necessary – and all with a critical eye.
- Artificial Intelligence is all the rage. Will it progress? Most certainly. There’s a desire to use it in many fields where it is thought that it could easily replace human workers. In our collective imagination it will be fast, flawless and tireless (machines don’t need to rest).
- Why are the Big Tech firms so interested in creating written and spoken automatic translation systems? Would these markets be so lucrative if they were automated? Probably not. But bear in mind that machines record everything they do, if for no other reason than to feed the databases they learn from. And that information goes straight into the hands of the Big Tech companies which are mostly either American or Chinese.
- Using AI is tantamount to handing over all your information to a foreign power, which might use that information against you. If everything becomes automated, there will no longer be any need to think. All in all, AI – like the Internet- is a double-edged sword. It is all about who controls the technology.
- Conclusion: think very carefully before using AI. Search out the fields where it will be useful to you. Analyse the risks it entails for you. What might look like a short-term gain could end up being suicide in the long run. Prudence and common sense are the order of the day.
Can artificial intelligence replace human intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is incapable of reproducing the subtleties of natural intelligence. It can therefore only be used to perform relatively simple, repetitive tasks. And remember that machines record everything you say and do. So, beware of the inherent dangers of AI.
Calliope and its members all belong to the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), which sets standards in the field of conference interpreting.
