Potential Influence of Artificial Intelligence on Social Dynamics

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the several topics within CS thats gaining mainstream notoriety due to its Hollywood portrayal and, more recently, the tangible impact that intelligent systems are beginning to have within society. As Intelligent Systems continue to evolve, its important that both researchers and the public are conscious of the natural dangers thatll come alongside it. While some are inclined to think that the development of AI will lead to a terminator-esque dystopian future, such an event is slightly romanticized and long into the future. A more realistic and rapidly emerging issue of of AI is the effect itll have on human relationships.
The invention of the internet, and later social media, forever changed the human landscape. During no other time in history have could people connect and interact with millions of others anywhere, at any time. This digital interconnectedness though, didnt come without a disconnect in the real world. As tech moves forward, the average person is spending more and more time engaged with the technological world, rather than the physical one. The same will continue to occur once AI begins to make the breakthroughs.
How exactly does AI impede human interaction, and what would that kind of world look like? In the homes, for example, AI technologies promise to increase the safe and reliable use and utility of home robots in a typical North American city. Special purpose robots will deliver packages, clean offices, and enhance security (24). While the authors do acknowledge that such growth will be expense and slow, it will still occur. Many services jobs will be lost due to these machines as will the potential for human interactions that come with them. Now it can be argued that meaningful dialogue with our drivers and deliveryman is uncommon for most and those industries could be done away with. Regarding education however, the outsourcing of learning to digital and robotic platforms could lead to the poor socialization of entire generations. Children need to physically play and interact with other children to develop adequately. A possible solution for this might could be virtual environments, Virtual reality and haptics could enter our living roomspersonalized companion robots are already being developed. (41). The question remains whether VR is an adequate solution to the decreasing avenues of meaning engagement that humans will have with one another (and even VR doesnt solve the physical components of interaction).
The Turing test is a competition where people chat with a stranger and then have to guess whether or not they are a human or a robot. As simple as the game sounds, no AI has ever been able to fool judges into thinking it was human even 40% of the time. This certainly wont be the case in 100 years. Its very well possible that the intelligent machines that clean our homes, provide transportation, and entertainment will be as real, if not more, a human being as our friends and families. AI will become the perfect significant other; a dutiful and efficient employee; or a friend always looking out for your best interest. And we didnt stop at the Model-T or Apple II! AI will become flawless, eventually more human than humans. What becomes of humanity at that point is anyones guess.
