Artificial intelligence can't replace human IQ, EQ

Innovation has always driven change, superseding old operations to provide affordable solutions while supplementing transitional consumer needs. Global research amply shows how innovative solutions have helped increase national economic growth and improved the quality of life. And the shift from man-sensitised solutions to machine-led developments has been instrumental in channelising positive influences to increment growth, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) having a key role in this empowered scenario.

The 'assumed' might of AI

AI, in an astounding feat, has raced forward over the past few years, with its purposes championed by the permissive, tech-loving and science-driven elite, trying to pronounce the eventual triumph of the machine over nature. They predict that initially, humans would be integrated with operational microchips, giving the reigns of functionality to technology, which would eventually surpass the uses of mortal nature. This AI-inspired future, with echoes from famous sci-fi movies such as Blade Runner and Battlestar Galactica, can be considered gravely depressing for human beings, giving rise to the world where human creativity and uniqueness have taken a backseat to the standardisation of robots.

This post-humanist, utopian vision is based on the belief that brains are essentially organically wired computers. The popularity of this theory is often based on the obscene amounts of money that eminent organisations spend on building comprehensive machine-based solutions, with algorithms being the fuel that charges them. These algorithms empower and transform businesses, powering the might of Google, Facebook and Netflix. AI advocates think that once computers have sufficiently advanced algorithms, they will be able to enhance, and then replicate the human mind.

Debunking the belief

It is too early to dismiss the superlative power of the all-expansive human mind. The human race is known to approach complexities of cognition through the basic rule metaphor of that particular era. While the ancients created inferences around the mind in terms of humour, early devout thinkers like Rene Descartes saw our mind as something intangible, having direct alliances with 'God'. Mankind's journey from such temperaments to modern-age machine supremacy is no less than Frodo's quest to destroy the ring.

Also, the AI theorists forget one of the most integral characteristics of human beings: We create things, and we often do it within a conscious framework. Not only can we craft concepts, business models and ideas, but every single human cell can also create itself. No scientific theory can fully explain how life creates itself or from where this power of creation comes. The art of creation within itself, without the help of superimposed programs, is largely missing in machines, especially in AI. It is said that our inherent nature to correctly assimilate the knowledge that we have gained, along with the emotional perspective of our surroundings, is what sets us apart from machine-laden operations. It is the intelligence quotient (IQ) and the emotional quotient (EQ) that provide us with the added edge.

AI has inherent flaws

Limited rationality: AI-powered robots can perform only when they are triggered with the logic, fed to it by human intelligence. Beyond logic, robots cannot function accurately. Here, the EQ- and IQ-ingrained human mind largely helps one move ahead with rationality while keeping societal norms in mind.

Lack of futuristic thinking: Lack of futuristic thinking is another unreliable aspect of AI-powered machine's functionality. The ability to think forward and take decisions is something that distinguishes humans from machine-led developments. With intrinsic dependence on the EQ and the IQ, supplemented by experience and knowledge, we can predict the outcome at the time of inception of any event.

Lack of spontaneous presence: AI-powered machines are never said to have a contingency plan B. The lack of spontaneous presence makes them vulnerable to sudden, unplanned changes. Programming these machines for a crisis that needs common and timely sense and spontaneity is a big challenge. In contrast, humans are known to be the very basis of spontaneity. We respond to crisis adequately owing to previous lessons learnt and that helps us tackle new situations accordingly.

Where we stand

Although AI is set to explore some new avenues and significantly impact how a robot performs human functions, the advanced protocols of programming a robot close to human-level perfection is still an inconceivable wish. The replication of human behaviour sounds extremely captivating, but the underlying concept of thinking, perceiving, analysing, understanding and responding spontaneously like a human brain is very far from practical instrumentation. Whether sophisticated AI turns out to be a friend or a foe, we must come to grips with the possibility that as we move further into the 21st century, the greatest intelligence on the planet remains within the human minds, along with the required integration of AI-led solutions.

Aniketh Jain is co-founder and Chief Executive at Solutions Infini Technologies India Pvt. Ltd, a cloud communications company.