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Over the past few years, talk of artificial intelligence and the various roles it will play in the modern world has increased considerably. However, a new report from CNN Tech affirms that despite the merits of artificial intelligence, the technology can be employed for nefarious causes if left unregulated.

An Overview of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is an inherently controversial subject. Some people note the merits and potential advancements in the technology, while others are more concerned about prospective downfalls. According to Alphr, the development of artificial intelligence is "speeding up exponentially."

Many people in the workforce will likely face succession from artificial intelligence. This is especially applicable to roughly 83% of employees earning less than $20 per hour. Concerns about the impacts of automation on low-wage workers are also part of the controversy regarding AI.

Most people regard artificial intelligence as a futuristic entity, however, there are facets of it in current, daily life. Cortana, Siri, and Google Now are all examples of artificial intelligence. Although most people generally use the aforementioned forms of automation on their laptops, phones, or iPads, they are still very real.

Theories about artificial intelligence's probable societal impacts are plentiful, to say the least. Roughly 50% of the artificial intelligence community believes that the intelligence of computers will reach that of humans by 2040. Although, experts are not sure whether this is good or bad. Logically speaking, once automation reaches the intellectual superiority of humanity, the ability to understand it will become considerably more challenging.

Engineer and inventor Elon Musk recently provided his take on the possibility of artificial intelligence attaining the mental capabilities of human beings:

"If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that. So we need to be very careful. I’m increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish."

Pitfalls of Unregulated Artificial Intelligence

While opinions of automation greatly differ, there are more pressing realities at hand. Without strategic regulations, experts predict that terrorism, cybercrimes, and other forms of abuse might follow automation.