Once upon a time, on a day dating back a few decades was a race of mankind that woke up to the alarm of their body clocks. Every day was governed by the vicious cycle of routine. Daily chores ranged from hand washing every piece of laundry to using the mortar and pedestal to grind spice mixes and batter, fresh butter was hand-churned from buttermilk and cooking was a Herculean task atop firewood stoves.
However, today, can we fathom a single day without the machines that govern our life? These wonder gizmos that make jobs simply disappear with a click of a button or connect us to the world with the touch of a finger or kill long hours entertaining our lonely spirits with song, movies and games.
Machines have gradually taken up our jobs helping us put man’s time, energy and skill to better use.
The advent of artificial intelligence and robotics have given us limitless ability to explore the unknown without having to worry about its consequences. Space explorations have best been carried out with the help of this technology where robots give scientists a visual experience of terrains that are inhospitable to us. Robots have aided the exploration of the vast expanse of the uncharted territory in the deepest depths of seas and oceans.
On the medical front, robots are used to aid complex surgeries, improvising both patient care and rehabilitation; a combination of robotics coupled with cutting-edge communication technology have made remote surgeries a possibility. Robots have been used in locations where man’s reach is limited as in the aftermath of accidents in mines, oil-rigs and nuclear power plants or in an event of natural disaster like an earthquake or post a hurricane disaster.
These man-made contraptions can outstrip human abilities in terms of memory, navigation and search yet lack the reliability, flexibility, creative intelligence and sensitivities of a human mind. Will man’s ambitious thirst for further advancement in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics challenge human supremacy? Expecting a machine close to the creative intelligence of a human mind in the near future seems implausible but only time can tell what bigger breakthrough awaits the future of artificial intelligence.
— The reader is an Indian homemaker based in Dubai
