The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence

We are living in an age where there aMinnesota State, Mankato’s  faculty and staff gathered in front of the Memorial Library and the Centennial Student Union to rally and bring awareness for Palestinians who are at war with Israel.

re so many new technological advancements every year — the latest being the rise of artificial intelligence, or AI. 

Artificial intelligence is defined as the ability of a computer or a robot controlled by a computer to perform tasks usually done by humans because they require human intelligence and discernment. This means they can be used to do things we as humans are accustomed to already doing. Again, this is still something that is relatively new, so it is important to lay out the pros and cons before we decide whether to use it or not.

Starting with the pros, the number one advantage of AI is the amount of knowledge that can be presented to us. Using sites such as ChatGPT you can pose any question in the world to the computer and, oftentimes, it will spew out many different answers.

Apart from the knowledge that can be created out of thin air, photos can also be created. This feature has been implemented into social media sites such as Instagram, and these photos have been spreading like wildfire. AI Photos can be much more time-efficient, have improved image quality and be much more user-friendly than a camera is.

Some other pros of artificial intelligence include streamlining, eliminating bias and automating repetitive tasks, among many others.

Now to the cons. As the definition may suggest, AI can lead to a lack of creativity. Although artificial intelligence is programmed to create everything from computer code to visual art, the resulting visuals and text can lack creativity. The reason that this may be an issue for us as students is the very reason we use it. To learn. This lack of creativity is very noticeable and can cost us on assignments, jobs and other tasks that require our own personal touch.

Going along with the generating aspect of AI, artificial intelligence can create imagery or content that is unrealistic or untrue. If we only rely on AI to produce our content, we may not be as accurate and it causes laziness and potential job loss for humans.

This was just a short list, but as AI continues to evolve, we can continue to form our own new opinions.