Recently, someone asked for my general opinion on AI. Here's how I responded:

I believe that the AI we see today, particularly generative AI, is the product of a long evolutionary process that began in the 1950s and 1960s. More recently, we’ve seen computers that can play Jeopardy, Chess, and even provide recommendations on platforms like Amazon and Netflix. What we are witnessing now is simply the latest branch of that evolution.

There is considerable uproar about the potential for certain tasks to become obsolete. When calculators were introduced, people worried students wouldn’t learn basic arithmetic. Similarly, the advent of spell check sparked fears that students would stop learning to spell. The same applies to Grammarly and other advancements aimed at improving our tasks. Throughout human history, we have continuously sought and developed various technologies to enhance our task execution, from the wheel to the cart to the carriage to the automobile to the airplane, and so on. Generative AI is just the next step in the evolution of our efforts to help humans perform tasks better.

The thing to keep in mind is that we cannot give what we do not possess. Since humans are not perfect, we cannot create anything that is perfect. Thus, AI will not be able to surpass us in quality. What I fear is worse.

Generative AI learns by training itself on large datasets, like what's on the internet. If those datasets contain biased, inaccurate, or incorrect information, the output will also be flawed, as it is a case of 'garbage in, garbage out'. By using data created by flawed humans, I fear that AI could end up just like us. In the best-case scenario, AI could overall be beneficial and lifesaving. However, it could also continue to be biased and potentially destroy lives.

Ultimately, it is up to us humans to decide which direction AI takes.