Blog Post Number Two

Reflecting on the class presentation about artificial intelligence, I found myself in awe of how rapidly and dramatically AI is transforming our world. The comments from Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates were eye-opening, especially Hawking’s stark warning that “the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” It's almost hard to wrap my mind around this– what starts as a technological marvel could potentially become a threat to our very existence. Elon Musk’s concerns about AI outpacing human control make it feel like we’re standing on the edge of something dangerous, while Bill Gates focuses more on AI’s potential to improve productivity and solve global problems. It's this tension between AI's promise and its risks that really got me thinking. I had never realized how far AI had come, and tracing it back to Alan Turing's work made me appreciate the depth of its history. Turing envisioned machines thinking like humans, and now we're living in a world where that vision is closer than ever. Expert systems, which mimic human decision-making, are already in use across industries. One example that blew my mind was Deep blue, the chess--playing AI that beat Garry Kasparov, the worlds best chess player at the time. This wasn't just about beating a human at chess-- it was a turning point in AI's ability to perform complex tasks better than humans. And then, when Watson won "Jeopardy?" against champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, it wasn't just a trivia contest-it showcased AI's potential to process language, logic, and quick thinking. The fact that Watson even engaged in a mock debate with Congress is astounding - it's as if AI is starting to shape the way we make political decisions too. These examples make me realize how deeply AI is infiltrating fields I hadn't even considered before. it's incredible and terrifying all at once to think about living and working in a world so shaped by AI.



Dagger


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