In the Age of AI

     Over the last 10 years artificial intelligence has made significant strides in the quality and quantity of information able to be generated in milliseconds. This has allowed for great strides to be made in the world of production and technology thanks to the streamlining provided by the direct solutions and lack of filler information often found in human intelligence. While the practical applications are plentiful and can improve the quality of goods and services in the short-term, there are lots of ramifications unseen by the developers caused by the applications of AI until recently. The most relevant of which being the loss of jobs and the potential for life with zero privacy in a complete surveillance state. 

    Since AI is able to process more information than the human brain at a much faster speed the ability to compile large amounts of data and analyze it with pinpoint accuracy is something that on the surface

sounds useful, but in reality can and has been used for negative applications. A key example of this being the complete surveillance state in China and how the police uses AI to monitor people's whereabouts and potential criminal activities. An article in The New York Times mentions how the police in China are buying different technologies to best monitor people all over the country to prevent any criminal wrongdoing and keep tabs on people seen as threats to the state. With these pieces of technology, the police are then able to use AI to assess any threat and how people behave no matter where they go in the country.  This can track a "social score" that knows whether or not people do more good deeds than bad and if that number gets too low it will flag them and notify the police. 

    All around the world, however, AI is affecting lives through the automation and streamlining of certain processes. The main problem is people are losing jobs because companies know they can save money by using AI and robotics to do the jobs of workers for no pay at all, reducing the cost of labor and increasing profits. According to Pew Research Center, the people at highest risk for losing their jobs to AI are women, Asian and white workers, and higher-wage employees. If protections aren't put in place to make sure essential employees' jobs are protected to prevent any large-scale backlash towards AI.