A Brief History

In this chapter, the author presents a brief history of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing (CC). They are often interchangeable terms to many people who are not working in the technology industry. Both imply that computers are now responsible for performing job functions that a human used to perform. The two topics are closely aligned; while they are not mutually exclusive, both have distinctive purposes and applications due to their practical, industrial, and commercial appeal as well as their respective challenges amongst academia, engineering, and research communities. To summarise, AI empowers computer systems to be smart (and perhaps smarter than humans). Conversely, CC includes individual technologies that perform specific tasks that facilitate and augment human intelligence. When the benefits of both AI and CC are combined within a single system, operating from the same sets of data and the same real-time variables, they have the potential to enrich humans, society, and our world.

Closing Thoughts

In this chapter, the authors present final observations and concluding thoughts about the future social implications of artificial intelligence (AI). One of the major reasons why humans stand out from other creatures is because of our mental capacity and demonstration of intelligence. However, AI has the potential to eclipse human potential with the same and potentially greater capacity as it matures towards ‘general' and ‘super' intelligence. However, the immediate challenge remains our capacity to feel safe with AI innovations and to have faith in their capacity to conduct themselves without prejudice, to eliminate any mistakes, and to conduct themselves in an equitable manner. It is expected that humanity will have a better understanding of what principles of awareness and aptitude are. Thankfully, these are issues with a lot of relevance in the modern world; the opportunity to develop an AI future society with positive benefits is achievable – if we act collectively and multi-laterally on a global scale.

Social Implications of AI

‘Social implications' generally refers to anything that affects an individual, a community, and wider society. The social implications of artificial intelligence (AI) is an immensely important field of study since AI technology will steadily continue to permeate other technologies and, inevitably, our society as a whole. Many of the social implications of this technological process are non-obvious and surprising. We should ask ourselves, What type of society do we want and what role will AI play to influence and shape lives? Will people simply become consumers served by intelligent systems that respond to our every whim? Are we reaching a tipping point between convenience and dependency? How will AI affect social issues relating to housing, finance, privacy, poverty, and so on? Do we want a society where machines are supplementing (or augmenting) humans or perhaps even substituting humans? It is important to be as clear as possible about likely social implications of AI if it truly helps benefit individuals and society.

Ethics of AI

While the ‘AI ethics' debate has been raging for some time, there are legitimate questions about employing AI and automation that are explored in this chapter. AI ethics isn't just about doing the right thing or making the best AI systems possible, it's also about who wields power and how AI affects the balance of power in everything it touches across society including businesses, institutions, and governments – ultimately, affecting the privacy and human rights of all individuals globally. AI must be developed with an understanding of who humans are collectively and in groups (anthropology and sociology), as well as who we are individually (psychology), and how our individual brains work (cognitive science), in tandem with current thinking on global cultural ethics and corresponding philosophies and laws. One thing is clear, without ethics, all visions of AI's future will have little impact.

Robots, Replicants, and Surrogates

The human brain is an extraordinary machine. Its ability to process information and adapt to circumstances by reprogramming itself is unparalleled, and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. This has given rise to machine learning, intelligent systems, and robotics. Robots and AI might right now still seem the reserve of blockbuster science fiction movies and documentaries, but it's no doubt the world is changing. This chapter explores the origins, attitudes, and perceptions of robotics and the multiple types of robots that exist today. Perhaps most importantly, it focuses on ethical and societal concerns over the question: Are we heading for a brave new world or a science fiction horror-show where AI and robots displace or, perhaps more worryingly, replace humans?

AI in Industry

The past two years have seen a tremendous number of changes in the global AI landscape. There has been a stable balance with the US as the unquestioned leader in the global IT market for nearly the past 20 years and by extension the international AI industry as well, which has evolved from the data science and big data analysis sector to become the engine of the 4th industrial revolution, global economic growth, and social progress that it is today. However, when it comes to AI spending, the US is outgunned by China whose government is investing $150 billion to support its goal to become the undisputed global leader in the AI race by 2030. This chapter will offer a broad overview of the UK AI industry and share insights on its present state, near-future, and what can be done in order to optimise the industry's trajectory over the course of the next several years and to maximise the UK's potential to become a global AI leader by 2020. It is not intended to be an exhaustive study and instead demonstrates the forces at work and possible areas for future research.

Unintended Consequences

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are commonplace given its rise and the diversity of its application. From medical treatment, gaming, manufacturing to daily business processes, huge amounts of money are being invested in AI research due to its exciting discoveries. Technology giants like Google, Amazon, and Tesla are amongst the driving forces today. But the rapid growth, innovation opportunities, and excitement that the technology offers obscure us from looking at its “unintended” consequences: the basis of this chapter. Proceeding chapters will explore further the impact and social ethics of AI across society.

AI in Emerging Markets

In this chapter, the authors explore the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) disruption in emerging markets (EM) – countries that are harnessing technology much faster and more enthusiastically than many of their developed-market compatriots. Dubbed the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), AI technologies are disrupting at speeds that have no historical precedent. With the potential economic benefits of AI already clear, governments in many EM countries—including China, South Korea, Russia, Hungary, Poland, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia—are pursuing policies that will help leapfrog developed markets. However, there are risks including concerns that a potential global recession may slow the rapid growth that the likes of China and other EM countries have enjoyed thus far. Additionally, there are key challenges relating to social, ethical, and legal frameworks as well as a need for security policies.

A New Dawn

People have varying (and often conflicting) beliefs, expectations, and fears of science and technology. While emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) may be no different, it has captured the imagination of people of all walks of life globally and is already trickling into our lives daily. When considering the future, the role of AI often polarises views of “a utopian versus dystopian future” throwing up a number of interesting questions about ethics, morality, religion, social values, regulation, and perhaps controversially, what it means to be human. Moreover, AI seems to be creating expectations that perhaps cannot be fulfilled in the present day but may (potentially) affect our future in ways that we still cannot comprehend. A new dawn of innovation is upon us, perhaps a revolution or an evolution of human society. This chapter presents this new dawn.

The Future Is Already Here

In Japan, the world's most technologically sophisticated society, the future has already happened with public displays of AI-powered systems and robots underpinned by big data and fast being incorporated along with other emerging technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), blockchain, and cryptocurrency. Hence, the building blocks of the future already exist today, perhaps within niches, and in the coming years, they will spread to make the ‘normal' of the future. The human race needs to forge a society that collectively and fairly controls how AI will ‘write' the future to avoid it being unequally spread and affected by inequalities, cancers, and the dysfunctional habits of today.