Hi there! Im TaxGPT, a friendly AI tax adviser.

Well, thanks anyway, but I had a human file my tax return for me this year.

But of course, we know the world is changing as Artificial Intelligence or AI dominates the planet.

AI is now a hot topic as almost 77 per cent of devices today use AI technology. There are more AI assistants today, a figure which will eventually surpass the number of people on this Earth.

According to carbon60global.com the AI market is expected to reach $407 billion by 2027. By 2057, robots could replace or displace 2.7 million jobs in construction and engineering alone.

How many times have you said, Hey Google, where is the nearest Italian restaurant?

Hey Siri, what is the population of Nunavut?

Alexa, play me my favourite Lionel Richie songs from the 80s.

AI is software meant to mimic a human mind and model human intelligence.

According to Reference.com, the general benefit of AI is that it replicates decisions and actions of humans without human shortcomings such as fatigue, emotion and limited time.

I am thinking of adding a shortcoming such as stupidity to the list, which would mean we could replace the average politician with artificial intelligence.

Machines driven by AI technology are being used to replace humans as they are able to perform consistent repetitious actions without getting tired.

They dont need work breaks or work-life balance or time off due to sickness. They are available 24/7 and reduce the need for human personnel.

Theres a reduction in human error.

Those are some of the advantages.

However, currently, the disadvantages are that machines are neither flexible nor creative, as robots cant think outside the box. It stifles critical thinking as AI cant be improved with experience like we can. Costs are high and it leads to unemployment and the risk of making humans lazy.

Is Artificial Intelligence improving the lives of seniors today?

Absolutely.

During the pandemic, research studies were done in Sweden and the U.K. where a chatbot, an interactive computer program using AI voice technology, was used to interact with isolated seniors.

The researchers used a chatbot called ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) as a cure for loneliness. It replicated human conversation, covering a wide array of topics. It can create human-like responses when prompted.

As visitors werent allowed to visit their elderly loved ones during the lockdown, ChatGPT could also help the isolated seniors answer questions, problem-solve as well as compose letters to their family.

Thats a good thing, but on the downside, chatbots could easily replace human interactions with all of their emotional baggage and drama.

At Drexel University in Pennsylvania, (drexel.edu) researchers say that using similar voice technology helps with early detection of dementia and Alzheimers disease. The chatbox program used was 80 per cent accurate in predicting early signs of dementia because language impairment affects between 60 and 80 per cent of dementia patients. The program can detect subtle clues such as grammar and pronunciation mistakes, hesitation and forgetting the meaning of words.

As the AI creators strive to produce a machine with a humans intellectual capacities, its billionaire executives such as Sam Altman fear that superhuman machine intelligence is probably the greatest threat to the continuous existence of humanity. Even Elon Musk is asking for a six-month moratorium on the development of advanced AI systems, including the latest version of ChatGPT.

But fellas, before you take a hiatus, could you develop me an interactive chatbot, who well call George, to be at my beck and call?

Hey George, rub my tired feet. While youre at it, peel me a grape!

April Lewis writes monthly on seniors issues for Peace Arch News.

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