When Will Machines Become Smarter Than People?

We have seen dozens of sci-fi movies over the years that show us an alternate future where machines take over. Whether it is “The Matrix,” “The Terminator,” or other blockbuster movies, the idea that machines can outsmart us and take over is prevalent. However, there are a lot of variables to consider whenever it comes to this subject before we assume that machines are going to take over the world. Here, we break down some key factors that could lead to a machine outsmarting a human.

How Machines Learn

Currently, AI needs to be fed information from sensors and image data that has already been labeled and processed by humans. This is an incredibly labor-intensive process. According to Deepen AI, just a single hour’s worth of driving data can take up to 800 man hours to label and analyze. The smartest AI around still struggles to make cognitive functions outside of its directive. This means that there are severe limitations to what a machine can learn at the moment.

Current Limits

Artificial intelligence is a relatively new invention. This means that there are plenty of bugs to iron out whenever it comes to fixing various problems that may present themselves. The artificial intelligence programs that we are developing now are nowhere near capable of taking over the planet. And while people worry that AI will render human jobs unnecessary and obsolete — according to informED, all developed nations can expect to see job loss rates of up to 47% within the next 25 years related to AI — the fact of the matter is that computers simply can’t replace everything that humans can do. 

Breakthroughs

The rate that we continuously improve artificial intelligence is astounding. We are constantly making breakthroughs that continue to blow our minds. Technology is evolving at a very fast rate, and a future where machines can outsmart us is just around the corner. However, we will always have protocols set in place that would shut down an AI if it were to go rogue. Artificial intelligence will always be here to help us and not to hurt us. That is the mission statement of the scientific community. 

Dozens of people are fascinated with the idea of artificial intelligence. We could design androids that are capable of thinking for themselves or systems that help us to calculate what our next decision should be. However, artificial intelligence should always be met with a bit of caution. Developing AI that has too much autonomy could end up hurting us in the end. Fortunately, our purpose for artificial intelligence is to simply improve our lives. The future looks bright for the developers of artificial intelligence systems. Only time will tell how far it will eventually go.