Probably the simplest definition of 'Intelligence' is "The ability to acquire knowledge, understand it, and use it effectively to solve problems or achieve goals". AI researcher Shane Legg defines it as "Intelligence is the ability to learn, understand, adapt, and successfully solve problems".
Until a few years ago, the Turing test was seen as the ultimate way to detect Artificial Intelligence but, today, most ChatBots could probably pass the test despite not being truly intelligent. Even today, a few simple questions will reveal if the 'person' you are talking to is human or not, "When were you born?". "Tell me about your mother?", "Where did you go to school?" would easily catch out a machine unless, of course, it had the ability to lie and that possibility is the stuff of nightmares!
Of course, science fiction has always been ahead of the game, as it should and the "Terminator" films propose a future where AI (Skynet) is in control of everything and grows to see that human beings are the root cause of all the world's problems. On the other hand, Issac Asimov took a different stance suggesting intelligent humanoid robots and, of course Multivac, A vast computer that gradually became humanity's ultimate source of knowledge and decision-making. We sit today, somewhere between the two scenarios! I'm not being alarmist ro complacent, just realistic.
Even without AI we are already seeing, today, signs of a lost generation as learning is circumvented by sources of information that were, themselves, science fiction years ago. I see it myself, every day... the younger generation that seeks answers from Google, Alexa, Siri etc. Yes, they get answers to questions but what do they learn from the answers?, only the solution but nothing of the reasoning and method behind the answers.
Some of you will remember a television series named "Survivors" from the 1970s where a pandemic wipes out most of the world's population. It explores how mankind recovers from the total collapse of society, agriculture and technology and how the survivors have to begin to learn how to do the everyday things such as growing food, rebuilding communications and transport to name just a few. How would most of us alive today fare in the same situation? very badly is the answer!
Another excellent example of how we would cope with a catastrophe is John Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids", the book, not the films which completely fail to deliver the massage. Mr Wyndham very deeply explores the collapse of society and the rise of anarchy.
Consider now the younger generations of today. We have a generation born of an already poorly educated populace lacking practical and social skills who rely on technology for just about everything. If the Internet shut down tomorrow, they'd be totally lost! Government would collapse, transport would grind to a halt, food distribution and the ability to actually pay for goods would totally fail and the end result would be anarchy. Am I being alarmist? I don't think so. We are already seeing a growing tendency to see violence as a solution to everyday situations due to lack of good parenting and supervision. Education standards are falling year on year resulting in a population that is fundamentally ignorant and totally lacking the skills to survive. Even the ability to interact face to face is a social skill that is rapidly disappearing.
I was brought up in a society where skills were passed down from parents to children. Boys learnt mechanical skills from their fathers and girls learnt how to manage the home and cook etc. from their mothers. But, the nuclear family is becoming a thing of the past. The traditional Mother, Father and children group is becoming muddied. Nowadays this is seen as sexist but my parents weren't that way inclined and I was encouraged to learn how to cook for example. OK, my father was a trained officer's chef in the Royal Horse Artillery and he passed some of his skills on to me. In fact I love cooking and practice my skills all the time. My wife was similarly brought up but was encouraged to become a home/housewife because that was the way it was in our younger days. At school, boys were taught engineering and woodwork, girls were taught home economics and cooking and the lessons learnt have benefitted us all our lives.
Nowadays, the influence of increasing non-gender specific teaching in our schools and the lack of skills handed down from parents has left us with a younger generation unable to perform even the simplest, basic tasks. Many young people are unable to cook, repair a bicycle or do simple DIY jobs. I learnt how to strip a car engine down and rebuild it, how many young people can do that today? Of course there are exceptions to the rule and there are very capable young people both male and female who can do very practical things but they are in the minority.
It is too often nature over nurture that dictates the direction of young people's lives nowadays. When the inevitable decline in jobs becomes the norm, how many younger people will be able to adapt and retrain for the future where AI is replacing human beings in the work place? And come it will. Despite the assurances that AI will enhance people's lives and lead to endless opportunities it is just a myth. The fact is that AI and robotics will render so many unemployable because they do not have the ability and skills to adapt.
AI has already been able to produce and entire film from start to finish with AI generated actors and environments which was indiscernible from a traditionally shot film. How long before the unspeakable 'Influencers' on social media are replaced by AI generated, more controllable counterparts? Lower end administration work will move over to AI, low skilled factory and warehouse work will move over to robotics and a whole generation of the potential workforce will be on benefits? The truth is out there but our governments don't seem to understand what's coming and the mega-corporations are very goo at pulling the wool over the eyes of politicians. Put simply, greed is the driving factor, that people's lives will be affected are a secondary issue.
The increasing use of AI to do medical research, produce new drugs and methods of diagnosis will affect the hopes of many aspiring scientists and medical students. In the not too distant future many of the research jobs will disappear, AI will take over medical diagnosis and many other functions of the medical profession leaving all but the established experts out in the cold. Science Fiction? no, science fact! But how long will it be before the human with all the experience gained over many years is supplanted by the electronic upstart?
"The Rise of the Robot" used to be seen as a science fiction prediction which people of the future would welcome and for many years scientist have attempted to build robotic machines to build cars, assemble goods or work where humans would be at risk but, until recently the results have not been very adaptable. However, the rise of the modern humanoid robot is here to stay and the plethora of human looking robots being worked on and in some cases, being marketed is astounding. The mechanics of limbs, hands, fingers and senses are improving day by day but what held them all back was the lack of a 'Brain' or central control logic. Issac Asimov, scientist, science fiction author etc. invented the Positronic Brain which was small enough to fit inside a humanoid robot and give it almost human-like capabilities. The science fiction is becoming science fact. Rapidly improving humanoid mechanics teemed with rapidly improving AI is, before long, going to produce the long awaited multipurpose, adaptable humanoid worker. It's already happening in organisations like Amazon
Asimov asked this question in the 1940s as his robot ideas developed so he devised the "Three Laws of Robotics"
Unfortunately, these safeguards haven't even been considered today. AI is being encouraged to learn, learn, learn and it is intended to be given more and more power over everyday operations and infrastructure.
Perhaps there should be some laws for AI?