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By:

Prasad Dixit

11 October 2024 at 1:09:23 am

The Human Advantage in an Artificial Age

As artificial intelligence grows smarter and more efficient, the real battle may not be about machines surpassing humanity but about whether humans squander the qualities that still set them apart. With the recent news of a Chinese robot beating the human record in a half- marathon, there is renewed debate on how AI could outsmart human beings. Many experts see it as yet another proof of impending disaster as AI takes over most of the jobs in the years to come. This is not the first time when...

The Human Advantage in an Artificial Age

As artificial intelligence grows smarter and more efficient, the real battle may not be about machines surpassing humanity but about whether humans squander the qualities that still set them apart. With the recent news of a Chinese robot beating the human record in a half- marathon, there is renewed debate on how AI could outsmart human beings. Many experts see it as yet another proof of impending disaster as AI takes over most of the jobs in the years to come. This is not the first time when human civilization is facing a technological revolution that has the potential to impact society and economy in a profound manner. There is, however, a crucial difference with AI driven revolution that is often missed out. The first industrial revolution happened because steam engines were invented and it led to mechanization of production. It was followed by discovery of electrical energy and technologies to harness it for mass production. Next wave of evolution was led by computerization and automation in practically all the fields covering both offices and industrial shop floors through mainframes, personal computers, and programmable logic controllers. While all these leaps in technologies are very different in terms of the specific underlying inventions, they all have one thing in common. They were all invented to do things that were humanly impossible to do. One steam engine or electric motor could do the work that perhaps hundreds of humans would never be able to accomplish even with their collective muscle power. Automation of the manufacturing assembly line would deliver speed and accuracy that human beings would never be able to achieve. Beyond Human Technological advances in Telecommunication, for that matter, have simply expanded the range of 'hearing' and 'seeing' far beyond what human vocal chords, ears, and eyes could manage to do on their own. Computers, at its core, are essentially doing the math and calculations at a speed and accuracy that the human brain can never achieve. To add to that, machines using all these innovations in technology would work tirelessly without any fatigue for a duration that human beings would never be able to match. Although AI is yet another highly potent technological innovation, it is not as straightforward as the previous ones. It can absorb and synthesize huge amounts of data that the human brain perhaps cannot do. Ability of AI to answer any question reasonably well using all the global knowledge made available to it, summarize enormous amount of data and text quickly, quickly draw a complex picture based on instructions given verbally, predict a trend, recognize and highlight a specific face in a fraction of a second from millions of faces, write code based on simple English instructions, are all examples where the speed and accuracy of underlying computation is delivering what human being cannot match. However, there are several areas where human beings are trying to improve AI so that it can, some day, match or exceed capability that human beings themselves already have. Examples of this include the ability of AI to completely replace a human driver safely in all situations, understand full context or an intent behind a statement, carry out complex and well-coordinated mechanical activity in response to various unpredictable situations, react appropriately by correctly assessing the emotions at play, integrate generated code appropriately in the existing larger systems landscape, and so on. In such cases, AI is not exhibiting any capability that is humanly impossible to match. On the contrary, AI is trying to catch up with what humans can do easily. In other words, in these areas, AI is trying to become what humans already are. This very aspect separates AI driven technology revolution from all the previous ones. Direct Competition It is often said that AI and humans will co-exist in the future, and people will need to change their ways of working. It is obvious that AI is also going to directly compete with humans in many sectors. Equipment with an embedded chip on-board do compete with humans even today. A case in point is household equipment such as ‘intelligent’ washing machines and dish-washers where robots to do vacuum cleaning and floor mopping do compete with humans offering these services. A human household help can perform these activities far better than what a machine can do. However, given an affordable choice, an increasing number of households prefer machines over human maid services for a reason. Human household help may not always be punctual, sincere, honest, and reliable. But machines are. Uncontrolled emotions, anger, frustration, laziness, indiscipline, absenteeism do affect humans - but not AI driven machines (at least till the time AI itself acquires emotions of its own, and becomes self-aware some day). This aspect of comparison between AI and humans is likely to become far more prominent and consequential as AI driven machines and robots become more and more intelligent and thereby start competing far more effectively with human capability in many spheres. Competition is said to bring about improvement. Just as AI improves itself through continuous learning to mimic human behaviour and actions, human workforce also needs to improve itself by avoiding behavioural issues and inefficiencies referred to above. Otherwise, humans would lose the natural advantage that they still enjoy over AI, and which is likely to continue even in the foreseeable future. Employers or consumers in the labour-intensive service sector will accept AI driven machines and robots with all its known limitations if it turns out to be a better net-net deal in comparison to services offered by humans. This specific aspect has tremendous significance for India. Many Countries from the developed world do not have a young population with reasonably good IQ in required numbers. India, on the other hand, has it in abundance. One could compare it with abundant availability of Thorium or Sunlight in India as compared to the Western world. Consequently, unlike many Countries in the world that have a Uranium centric approach towards nuclear energy, India's approach needs to be centered around Thorium. India's strategy related to renewable, non-conventional, green energy needs to be based on solar power. Indian Context Strategies for adopting AI in the Indian context need to be similarly tailored for the Indian context. India needs to adopt AI in the areas where it clearly has an advantage over humans in terms of speed, throughput, ease of use, accuracy, and efficiency. However, the use of AI needs to be judiciously controlled in areas where AI is trying to catch up with the capabilities of the human mind and body. Several labour-intensive services such as drivers, caregivers for the elderly people, parcel delivery, security guards, maintenance and repair of various equipment, are all examples in that category. Educational policies and overall work culture in the Country needs to appreciate this reality. Just as AI experts are trying hard to 'teach' AI algorithms and improve them through supervised learning, another set of experts need to sensitize and teach humans on how to understand, appreciate, preserve, and further hone the significant natural advantage that they already have over AI. Despite all the technological breakthroughs in AI, in many areas, still, it is a battle that humans will lose only if they choose to. (The writer works in the Information Technology sector. Views personal.)

A Grand Gamble

The Mahagathbandhan gears up to take on Narendra Modi’s juggernaut in Bihar, but unity may prove more elusive than slogans suggest.

Bihar
Bihar

Ringing in Bihar’s election season, the Mahagathbandhan (or ‘Grand Alliance’) has plunged into a frenzy of activity. Opposition leaders are crisscrossing Patna and beyond, holding strategic meetings to rally the ranks and craft a credible challenge to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its regional ally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal (United). Yet beneath the surface of photo opportunities and declarations of unity, cracks are already beginning to show, and time may not be on the alliance’s side.


The immediate goal of this week’s gatherings is to steal some of the spotlight from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to visit Madhubani on Thursday. Over two days, the alliance’s key figures, including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Congress leaders, and leftist parties, will deliberate on a common programme and attempt to project an image of cohesion. It is an image that the Mahagathbandhan desperately needs to project if it hopes to mount a serious challenge.


At the last such meeting, Yadav was appointed coordinator for the alliance’s activities in a symbolic, if not uncontested, endorsement of his leadership. The idea, insiders said, was to ensure that the campaign would not degenerate into a personality clash between Tejashwi and the NDA, but rather be seen as a broad coalition effort. Even so, the underlying tensions were apparent: while RJD veterans speak confidently of Tejashwi as the face of the coalition, Congress leaders are markedly less enthusiastic.


The Congress, never an easy partner, is demanding clarity on seat-sharing at the earliest – a demand echoed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist). In private, Congress functionaries fret that the RJD will attempt to corner the lion’s share of the constituencies by invoking its voter base among Yadavs and other Other Backward Classes (OBCs).


In 2020, Congress contested 70 seats, only to suffer a drubbing, winning just 19. This time, party bosses, including national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are pressing for an equal or higher share, emboldened by internal calculations that the BJP’s alliance with Nitish Kumar has weakened its hold on Bihar.


While Kumar, once hailed as ‘Sushasan Babu’ (Mr. Good Governance), is indeed a diminished figure, the BJP’s formidable election machinery remains a daunting force.


Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan’s internal messaging remains muddled. In public, senior Congress figures in Bihar, like Akhilesh Prasad Singh, declare Tejashwi Yadav the undisputed chief ministerial face. In the same breath, others, like Bihar Congress in-charge Krishna Allavaru, insist that no final decision has been made. The RJD sees Tejashwi’s projection as crucial for energising the youth and OBC vote base that it traditionally banks on.


Adding to the confusion is the lack of a coherent narrative. Leaders like Mukesh Sahni of the Vikassheel Insaan Party and Kunal of the CPI(ML) speak passionately about unemployment, migration and Bihar’s chronic underdevelopment. But these issues risk being drowned out in an election season dominated by caste calculations and political intrigue. Worse, the Opposition’s critique of the NDA government sounds hollow unless accompanied by fresh solutions.


The Mahagathbandhan’s great advantage is its caste arithmetic. With the RJD commanding Yadav-Muslim votes, the Congress tapping into upper-caste minorities, and the Left and regional parties courting Dalits and other OBC groups, the alliance has the theoretical numbers to challenge the NDA. The risk, however, is that the alliance’s heavy dependence on caste groups may alienate younger voters, who yearn for economic opportunity rather than symbolic representation.


If the Mahagathbandhan fails to sort out its leadership questions and seat-sharing headaches before campaigning begins in earnest, it will once again find itself outgunned, outspent and outmanoeuvred.


For now, Bihar’s Grand Alliance is betting that common cause against PM Modi and Nitish Kumar will be enough to keep its squabbling partners tethered together. History, however, suggests otherwise. In Indian politics, unity forged in opposition often shatters under the strain of ambition.

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