Activity One
Activity 1
Take a minute to think about why technology in general (think computers, machines etc) is important. What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of technology. You may want to consider different people / situations to help you with your answer.
You may have come up with things such as:
- Efficiency – doing tasks quicker and easier (think vacuum cleaning, microwaves etc)
- Doing tasks that are dull, dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs (think landmine clearance, dishwashers etc)
- Open up opportunities to do new things – allow people to experience things they wouldn’t previously (think video calls with family overseas, electric wheelchairs etc)
In a similar way to the above, AI can be seen as an extension of this, another tool in the technology toolbox. It can be used to make people / companies more efficient and can perform tasks better than humans in some instances, particularly when it comes to repetitive and detail-oriented tasks like analyzing large numbers of documents to ensure relevant fields are filled in properly, AI tools often complete jobs quickly and with few errors.
AI can also enable new opportunities. Prior to AI it would have been unimaginable to use an automated service to connect people to taxi drivers. However, that’s what Uber now does, by using machine learning to predict where and when taxis will be in demand, so taxi drivers can get on the road prior to taking bookings making it a much more efficient service.
Possible advantages of AI include:
- Reduction in Human Error;
- 24x7 Availability;
- New Inventions;
- Unbiased Decisions;
- Perform Repetitive Jobs;
The worlds biggest and most successful companies are looking towards AI to improve many aspects of their business.
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