Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic over the last few years and continues to be one thanks to rapid advancements in the space.  

It has the potential to add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, and boost GDPs by up to 26% in that time, according to PWC. 

We were first introduced to AI on productivity apps, then came along ChatGPT, and now it’s generative AI (GenAI) on our smartphones. Not to mention products we use daily like smart home gadgets, voice assistants and even Gmail’s Smart Reply. 

But between all of that, there’s a whole lot of misconceptions and myths around AI. In this article, we will debunk some of them. 

AI will take our jobs 

Arguably the most common myth out there. While it is true that AI can replace certain entry-level jobs, but it cannot replace jobs that require cognitive skills that humans can do better. So, it may replace a reporter cover news, but it cannot write an in-depth review about a phone like a tech journalist like myself. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, it estimates AI will replace 85 million jobs globally by 2025, but it will generate 97 million new jobs by the same period. This sounds promising for your kids. 

AI will replace human intelligence 

You may have come across the term Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), which IBM describes as a ‘hypothetical software-based AI system with an intellectual scope beyond human intelligence’. We need to remember that AI can only generate results based on the data it has been fed and trained on, which lacks the insight humans have, alongside creativity, and any form of emotion. So, you can relax now, AI will not become smarter than you, or take over the world. 

AI and ML at the same thing 

People often use the terms AI and Machine Learning (ML) interchangeably, and understandably so as ML is a subset of AI. But if we get down to the technicalities, they may be related but are not the same thing. ML is a subset of AI that can learn from large data sets and make predictions based on that, whereas AI is based on being programmed to carry out specific tasks. Well, you’ve now learned something new today. 

AI is neutral 

It’s easy to assume that AI is neutral and can be unbiased, as it is coming from a machine, which does not use emotions. However, AI is all about the historical data it is fed and trained on, which can sometimes be discriminatory towards gender, race, and sometimes reflect societal prejudice. You know the saying AI is only as good as the data it trains on? This is why factors like diversity are important when it comes to training algorithms, and ultimately AI should be valuable to all users.  

There is so much to learn about AI and the tech innovations that go with it. Check out our Metaverse/AI section to broaden your knowledge on this subject and many more.