Recent dramatic advances in the field of artificial intelligence, or AI, especially in branches such as computer vision, machine learning and natural language processing, have given rise to an array of tools across disciplines. These technical advances offer significant benefits to humanity but also pose genuine risks.

AI tools have made myriad tasks much easier and improved productivity in some fields. It could thus free humans to focus on more creative activities. Some AI-driven image-processing and editing tools have enabled not only artists but also lay people to bring ideas to life in a way that was not possible using conventional processes. In the health sector, AI has improved drug discovery, accelerated diagnosis of diseases and enabled robots to carry out complicated surgeries that humans cannot yet do. AI can improve safety in spheres such as weather, transport and maintenance of machines. AI can deliver education to a large number of people.

At the same time, by automating various tasks, AI could destabilise society by displacing people from jobs and thus increase inequality. There is already serious misuse of AI packages that generate content that looks like the work of humans. AI could be used to produce autonomous weapons and cyber-attacks. AI algorithms could mine data and be used for sinister surveillance, thus invading people’s privacy. Writers, artists and educators have raised concerns about AI algorithms aiding and disguising plagiarism and propagating bias. At a deeper level, advanced AI could surpass human creativity and pose a huge existential problem for our species.

Is our fear of this new technology justified and should we approach it with great caution, or will it, in the long run, turn out to be a benign game-changer like the steam engine?