5 Things AI Can’t Do (Yet)

Artificial intelligence and its capabilities have recently received more attention as it's rapidly becoming a prominent figure in our daily lives. While some are hesitant about the AI trend and what it can do in the future, others are excited to see how it will evolve.

One thing for sure is that content creators and artists enjoy all the hype they get for expressing their curiosity on the subject. During questions like "Is AI going to take my job?" or "Can AI take over the world and rule us?" we must acknowledge that AI has yet to show specific abilities to become a dominant force in our lives. 

In AI systems, artificial intelligence (AI) technology breakthroughs have revolutionized various sectors, from real-time data processing to driving cars and beyond. This cutting-edge science fiction turned reality encompasses the development of AI models powered by neural networks capable of problem-solving in the real world. Virtual assistants equipped with natural language processing (NLP) abilities are now widespread, reflecting the convergence of human intelligence with advanced data sets and search engine technologies.

As we navigate AI's ever-expanding possibilities, we confront ethical considerations regarding its potential to replace human tasks while acknowledging its transformative potential in reshaping industries and enhancing human capabilities. Although AI job takeover has already begun in some sectors, many jobs are safe in the visible future because of the things AI can't do yet. So, let's look at some of the vital stuff AI fails at.

Making Ethical Decisions

AI can't evaluate decisions based on ethical values like "right" or "wrong." This means an AI can decide without using any concepts of "fairness" or "honesty" downloaded in their gear. Well, this poses a significant question: how are humans supposed to teach an intelligence with no sense of right or wrong? Without an unbiased training set, the answer is "don't." Don't teach your computer any moral values that could potentially be misused in the future. This isn't an easy task as there's lots of data out there that we need AI to access, and not everything is as simple as "right" or "wrong."

Adapting to Changing Circumstances

Since current AI technologies are programmed based on historical data, they can only be concluded from past experiences. In this case, when an AI comes across something new, it tends to make a biased decision. To put it in a different perspective, AI revives old memories to decide for the present. For example, when Amazon decided to use AI for job recruitment, it famously eliminated many women. The machine simulated potential successful workers, but the company's history of successful women decided the outcome. Perhaps learning from the past is not always the best course of action for the future.   

Feeling Empathy

Just as AI can't make an ethical decision, it can't recognize a person's feelings. Although it can respond with automated answers like "I'm sorry to hear that" or "I understand your frustration," it carries no emotion and is a stranger to them. Not surprisingly, this raises questions about their place in our daily lives, considering how they will react in vulnerable situations is entirely unknown. On the other hand, human empathy and interaction remain irreplaceable when making a customer complaint or buying groceries from the store. People want their feelings acknowledged, and a smiling face gives us a kickstart to the day.  

Forming Casual Relationships

While current machine learning works exceptionally well at identifying patterns and making associations, it fails to form cause-and-effect relationships behind the patterns. For instance, an AI would have no problem recognizing a baby crying when it is hungry. But when it comes to causal relationships, AI can't decide if the crying causes the baby to get hungry.

Being Creative

Although AI can produce songs and poems, it can't create something unique and personal without a programmer's guidance. The human urge to push boundaries plays a crucial role in our ability to be truly creative, whereas AI lacks the imagination to go beyond its scripts. The world around us keeps changing infinitely, and our experience of life shapes our art. An art piece created without human intelligence and life experience is inherently flawed. Creativeness is an ability humans have evolved and perfected over thousands of years, although it may not take that long for AI to catch up. 

Without the fundamental abilities we have mentioned, AI doesn't seem likely to bring the apocalypse. Although its benefits are tremendous in sorting and associating data, the notion that AI is a super genius capable of doing anything is inaccurate. Considering that technology is still in its baby steps, continuously evaluating its strengths and weaknesses will benefit us as a society. In the end, AI is here and present. It's our responsibility to maximize its potential and determine how it can help us achieve more.

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