Machines that should imitate human behavior, this is in a nutshell the idea behind the so-called and much reviled artificial intelligence , which means making technology capable of reasoning, making decisions, learning and even perceiving and abstracting.
The most emblematic case is that of ChatGPT, an acronym for Generative Pretrained Transformer: a powerful and versatile natural language processing tool that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to generate human-like responses within speech. Created by OpenAI, a non-profit organization for artificial intelligence research, with the aim of optimizing conversation and facilitating user use, this technology has the potential to greatly improve the way we interact with machines in a wide range of applications, from customer service to language translation to creative writing. In short, a revolutionary tool and an unstoppable success, with one hundred million active users per month, it is the project with the highest growth rate in history. Even more than social networks such as TikTok and Instagram.
If the idea that machines are destined to beat man terrifies us a little, good news comes from the States. It is reported by the Financial Timesand it is one of those cases in which we can say that “man beats machine 1 – 0” even if not so much because of a player’s skill, but rather because of a weakness or bug in the artificial intelligence. In short, in San Francisco during a game of Go, the Japanese board strategy game, Kellin Pelrine managed to beat an artificial intelligence. What happened, of course, highlights the fact that in any artificial intelligence system, even the most widely used ones, there can be weaknesses.
And there are those cases, however, in which artificial intelligence combined with the witty (and a bit fraudulent, let’s face it) intelligence of a photographer manage to fool more than 26,000 users. Jos Avery’s Instagram profile has gone from having 12,000 followers in October to 26,700 today in just a few months, and the boom in users has coincided with the start of publishing images created by artificial intelligence using Midjourney. His portraits show the faces of men and women of different ages and backgrounds, sometimes with melancholic expressions and in others more thoughtful.
Jos Avery’s use of artificial intelligence demonstrates how technology can have an impactful impact on the career and popularity of a worker (in this case, a photographer). However, it is important to emphasize that the creative process remains in the hands of the worker, whether they are a photographer or an electrician, and that it takes a lot of effort to take the elements generated by artificial intelligence and create something unique and of quality.
So, to paraphrase the mathematical genius Alan Mathison Turing , considered one of the fathers of computer science: can machines think?
In companies, machine learning , for example, is a very important tool that is literally transforming production and business processes. Thanks to powerful algorithms, large amounts of data can be analyzed in seconds. Over time, algorithms learn to improve themselves and analyze each relevant data more precisely, without direct human intervention.
But there is a but. Human and artificial intelligence will never be on the same level because if it is true that both are rational and systematic, only the human mind is emotional, sensory, imaginative. Precisely for this reason, man continues to be at the center of the universe. Yes, but helped by machines.
Digital transformation, in fact, has shifted attention to a new ecosystem in which technology can improve human conditions and ensure that it is shaped by people’s values and needs, not the other way around.
The same thing must apply to companies. Business process automation and machine learning are certainly speeding up and implementing business processes, but ideas and creativity are always essential to accelerate innovation and boost business development.