Amidst all the talk about how artificial intelligence (AI) is threatening society with great harm—beginning with taking over human-held jobs and then, eventually, becoming more intelligent and taking over the entire world—some experts believe that AI shouldn’t be feared. Foremost among these experts is Google’s director of engineering and notable “future teller” Ray Kurzweil, who has said time and again that the technological singularity won’t necessarily go down as expected.
Although AI can certainly be used by governments or companies to increase their surveillance on the average citizen, it can also be used to fight nefarious surveillance activities and protect privacy. Some are using AI systems to protect healthcare records, secure financial transactions, and even detect digital weak spots before hackers can.
AI can also be used to improve traditional security. We now have smart security cameras and even artificially intelligent robot guards. Lie-detecting border patrol AIs are keeping us safe from international threats, and, though highly controversial, AI is making the world’s military more powerful as well.
