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When you think about AI becoming sentient, you think of machines dominating the world. The creation has become the master. But how much of that is true besides all the Hollywood imagination of AI world dominance? Are we even close to a very sophisticated AI that could replace engineers who create AI? Is this even possible?
The idea of AI replacing engineers is not new, and it is already happening. There is already an AI that can code, AI that can build cars and an AI that designs buildings. Yet the AI we use is not sentient and only helps engineers reduce time and effort on tasks. In other words, AI is not replacing engineers but helping them. AI exists today to increase efficiency, not take over the world.
The real question is: if we are on this current trajectory of innovation, will we eventually give birth to a very powerful AI that can dominate engineers and thus take over the world?
Here is the view of the smartest man on earth:
But wait, is not he the CEO of one of the biggest tech companies with its autonomous driving technology with its tesla bot, AKA Optimus?
How has Elon Musk gone from warning about AI to creating AI?
This is the truth that no one realises; the AI created today is optimised to excel in a specific area with extreme efficiency. AI does not have an opinion or thoughts and can not tell what is right or wrong. It is coded to do a certain thing and complete tasks based on preset parameters.
Are we close to a self-thinking AI free of limits set?
Not yet, but we are close.
However, not the way you expect, like the AI in movies.
The AI we have today is not conscious but has been fooling us into thinking it is conscious.
What Careers Can And Can Not Be Replaced By AI?
AI is good at doing single tasks with the highest precision and even better than humans. AI fails when it tries to do multiple things at once.
AI will eventually do some things better than humans, while we will still rely on human consciousness in some tasks.
You can learn about those careers here: The Top 10 Careers That AI Can & Can NOT Replace.
What Engineering Careers Will Be Taken Over By AI?
For a few reasons, it is almost impossible for a machine to take over the world’s smartest profession.
First, engineers are problem solvers who find solutions to complicated issues on many levels that AI will have a hard time modelling and solving through complicated mathematical equations or programs.
Second, engineers created AI for the sole purpose of advancing and making human lives much easier. If AI develops to be far more sophisticated than today’s AI, it will definitely be to improve human lives. When you think about technology, think about smartphones, the internet and self-driving cars. These creations have been developed through complicated programs and algorithms, which we know as Artificial intelligence (AI).
Finally, AI does not have a specific goal or plan toward anything, so it can not innovate.
Why Do AI Experts & Engineers Fear AI?
The notion that AI is inherently evil or has emotions is utterly ridiculous. AI has no feelings, needs, goals or thoughts. It only does what it is programmed to do. For AI to be evil or good, it must have feelings, needs and goals, which it does not; therefore, it can not be evil or good.
However, what you decide to do with AI can be evil. If a machine can do certain bad things better than humans, such as money theft or murder, with an AI technology that is widely accessible by anyone, it will be very tempting to use it for evil.
This is what AI experts fear; it is not the AI itself but what AI can do if it is instructed by humans to do evil. AI has no perception of right or wrong, but it will understand and give humans instructions if it is in the AI’s ability to do so.
This is why the likes of Elon Musk warn about AI and how there must be a need for regulations and rules around the use of AI.
Is AI Engineering The Future?
There is no doubt that AI engineering will trump software engineering eventually. Why spend hours coding a program when you can develop an AI to write the code for you? Machine learning is already a thing you can see in any social media app, also known as the algorithm, which is a program designed to study your interest to serve the best content for you.
Is AI Engineering A Good Career?
AI engineering is one of the fastest-growing engineering fields. AI engineers are already the highest-paid engineers ever. AI engineering is an area with huge potential for innovations and breakthroughs in the world of software engineering and computing. It will definitely be the highest demanding engineering job in the near future.
