The First World War laid the foundation of automation to achieve maximum production in minimum time. Following the Second World War, in 1950, renowned English mathematician Dr. Alan Turing introduced the concept of the ‘Thinking Machine’. Later, in the year 1956, Dr. John McCarthy introduced the concept of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) at a workshop in Hanoi, America. Since then, AI has been revolutionising every field, transforming sectors like Defence, Production, Transportation, Communication, Health, Sports, Education and many more. Prominent developments can be seen in the last three to four decades.
AI became common to the world with the Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT), a technology based on deep learning, which also sparked discussions around its applications in various sectors. Lately, ChatGPT-4, followed by ChatGPT-5, has gained more momentum, thanks to the technology that can generate responses of up to 25,000 words. These versions can produce answers in the form of articles or documents. Compared to earlier ChatGPT, which could only interpret and analyze text, ChatGPT-4 and above can also analyze photos and videos. For example, if a photo has air-filled balloons, this version of GPT can predict the direction in which the balloons will float if the strings are cut. It can also create schedules in seconds and prioritize tasks. Day by day, GPT is upgrading itself. If asked, GPT can even explain concepts at any level of understanding, like a personal tutor, and suggest health-related measures.
Fuzzy Logic in AI has been used for automations at factories. Even the AI is contributing to the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. Neural Networks and Deep learning models are being used to shortlist the most suitable candidates from thousands of applicants for a position in an organisation, and that too within a minute.
Apart from the above-mentioned usages, AI is being used in wildlife conservation, sports, healthcare, defense, education, production and many more field, but it has also raised serious concerns about its ill effects on the new generations who are extensively using AI for various tasks, which is affecting their decision-making and critical thinking abilities. This may lead to overdependence on technology, resulting in mental slavery. Jobs from sectors like banking, call centers, software coding and testing have been disappearing with the use of AI. However, this is also creating jobs in the field of cloud computing or Edge computing. Youngsters who want to pursue jobs have to update and upgrade their knowledge to secure employment in future. Apart from jobs, AI is providing major entrepreneurial opportunities. Considering all these scenarios, universities and governments should take firm steps to provide various opportunities for faculty and students. This will lead not only to job creation but to innovation as well.