Have you watched the Terminator? If not, here’s a little spoiler. It’s about saving humankind from an Artificial Intelligence called Skynet that fights against human resistance. Back then in the nineties and early 2000’s this was just science fiction. However, with the developments of technology and AI, it might just become a reality soon.
AI has been a game changer with big tech companies competing to provide the best AI. Open AI is leading in AI development with the inception of AI technologies such as Chat GPT, Sora, and DALL-E among others.
Artificial intelligence is becoming better day by day as we continue to feed it more data. We are sailing in uncharted waters as we explore the benefits and dangers AI poses. In this blog post, we look into how science fiction is becoming a reality because of AI and the impact AI has on our society.
Table of Contents
Skale Money Key Takeaways
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, turning science fiction concepts into reality.
- Neuralink’s brain chip implant has successfully allowed a paralyzed person to control a computer with their thoughts.
- Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies are creating immersive digital worlds, with major tech companies developing advanced VR headsets.
- Self-driving cars, pioneered by Tesla, are becoming a reality, though they still face some limitations and safety concerns.
- Humanoid robots are being developed with advanced AI capabilities, raising questions about their impact on employment.
- AI is making significant strides in content creation, including the ability to generate videos and potentially entire movies, which brings both opportunities and concerns about deep fakes.
- While AI offers numerous benefits, it also poses ethical challenges and potential risks that need to be carefully managed as the technology continues to evolve.
Neuralink brain chip
Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has made significant progress with their brain chip implant on the first human being. Noland Arbaugh got the implant in January and is a person living with a disability. He is paralyzed below the shoulders. The chip implant enables him to play the video game Civilization VI for eight hours straight.
Not long ago, moving things with our thoughts was considered science fiction. Something we only saw in movies. Neuralink defied the odds by successfully implanting a functional chip in a human. Thousands of people signed up to get the chip which shows that people are interested in the technology.
Here are the potential benefits of the Neuralink brain chip:
- Treat patients with neurological conditions, such as paralysis and blindness
- Symbiosis with AI to give instructions
- Communicate with other people by using thoughts
- Save and replay experiences and memories
As you can see, it’s no longer science fiction to have a brain chip, but how ethical is this and how will it affect our future? Only time will tell as AI technology develops.
Digital worlds
Decades ago, interacting with people in different geographical locations in real time was far-fetched. You had to either make a call or travel. Movies like Iron Man depicted scenarios where this could be possible and a few years later the emergence of immersive technologies became a reality.
Augmented and Virtual reality technology has impacted different industries such as sports, telemedicine, and businesses. Meta, Apple, and Google are leading with the creation of VR headsets. Here are some of the best VR headsets available today:
- Meta Quest 3
- Valve Index VR Kit
- Apple Vision Pro
Self-driving cars
Cars work mechanically and require a driver to move. Thanks to Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, this is no longer the case. Tesla revolutionized the car industry by first making them electric cars.
Tesla later ventured into using AI for self-driving cars and led other car manufacturers in this field. Still, a Tesla needs a driver in the cabin to make minor adjustments while driving but this could also not be a necessity as the technology evolves.
Self-driving cars reduce accidents by following safety habits and road rules such as traffic lights, speed limits, and road signs. AI limitations in self-driving cars include:
- Hacking which can endanger passengers
- Interrupted software updates
- Poor road conditions that affect the AI performance
- Data privacy
Humanoid robots
Believe it or not, humanoids are now a reality. Figure, an AI robotics company has developed a humanoid called Figure 01. The humanoid can respond to human questions in real time.
In a demonstration by Figure, the robot was able to identify the human nearby, describe items on the table, rinse utensils, and pass the apple to the man because it was the only edible item.
This was enabled by working in partnership with Open AI, the creators of Chat GPT. Other companies developing humanoids and AI robots are:
- Hanson Robotics
- Boston Dynamics
- PAL Robotics
- Softbank Robotics
- UBTECH Robotics
The future looks bright as humanoids become better. An area of concern is how they will impact employment, especially in factories and construction sites.
AI movies, deep fakes, and content
It was thought that AI would replace blue-collar jobs first. But with technology, you are never certain. As it would happen, AI instead threatened the white collar and creative jobs. Who would have thought AI could write full scripts for movies and YouTube creators?
Sora, an AI from Open AI that might be released to the public in 2024 can create one-minute videos from prompts. This has brought the realization that as AI continues to improve, movies could be produced by using AI. AI could replace whole movie sets and need only a few people.
On the other hand, the technology can be used to create deep fakes and mislead people into making decisions such as voting, opinions, and explicit content that impact people’s lives and mental health. Here are some Sora AI competitors:
- Colossyan
- Deep brain AI
- Descript
- InVideo
- Elai.io
Final words
Artificial intelligence is here to stay and it will only get more advanced. As the human race, it’s our responsibility to ensure that we develop AI for the good of mankind. AI is a great technology but if unchecked it can do more harm than good.
FAQ
How is AI turning science fiction into reality?
AI is making concepts from science fiction a reality through advancements like brain-computer interfaces (Neuralink), virtual and augmented reality, self-driving cars, humanoid robots, and AI-generated content creation.
What is Neuralink and what can it do?
Neuralink is a brain chip implant developed by Elon Musk’s company. It has allowed a paralyzed person to control a computer with their thoughts and has potential applications in treating neurological conditions and enhancing human-AI interaction.
What are some examples of immersive technologies mentioned in the article?
Virtual and augmented reality technologies, with companies like Meta, Apple, and Google developing advanced VR headsets such as Meta Quest 3, Valve Index VR Kit, and Apple Vision Pro.
How far along are self-driving cars?
Self-driving cars, pioneered by Tesla, are becoming a reality but still have limitations. They can follow traffic rules and reduce accidents, but currently still require a driver in the cabin for minor adjustments.
What are humanoid robots, and which companies are developing them?
Humanoid robots are AI-powered robots designed to look and act like humans. Companies developing them include Figure, Hanson Robotics, Boston Dynamics, PAL Robotics, Softbank Robotics, and UBTECH Robotics.
How is AI impacting content creation?
AI is advancing in content creation, with tools like OpenAI’s Sora capable of generating short videos from text prompts. This technology could potentially be used to create entire movies in the future.
What are some concerns about AI development?
Concerns include ethical challenges, potential job displacement (especially in creative and white-collar fields), data privacy issues, and the risk of deep fakes being used to spread misinformation.
What are some AI video generation tools mentioned in the article?
Besides Sora, the article mentions Colossian, Deep Brain AI, Descript, InVideo, and Elai.io as competitors in AI video generation.
What is the overall message about AI in this article?
While AI offers numerous benefits and exciting possibilities, it also poses challenges that need to be carefully managed as the technology continues to evolve.
Author: Cosmas Mwirigi
Cosmas Mwirigi is an established freelance writer with over five years of experience and the founder of Skalemoney.com. His content has been published by multiple publishers, including PV-Magazine, Slidebean, Bridge Global, Casinos.com, Gambling.com, and Reverbico. Mwirigi is an expert writer in iGaming, B2B, SaaS, Finance, digital marketing and Solar renewable energy. To contact him for his services, connect with him on his LinkedIn.
