Thinking Activity on Cultural Studies
What is Cultural Studies ??
The word "culture" itself is so difficult to pin down, "cultural studies" is hard to define.
We can also say that, 'Culture' refers to the way a group of people do things, think, and live together. It's like a big group's shared way of life. Culture includes things like food, clothing, music, language, and traditions that are unique to that group. For example, some cultures might eat with chopsticks, while others use forks and knives. Culture is what makes each group of people special and different from each other. It's like a colourful tapestry that shows the history, beliefs, and values of a community or a whole country. So, when we talk about culture, we're talking about the things that make a group of people who they are.
• As Patrick Brantlinger has pointed out, cultural studies is not "a tightly coherent, unified movement with a fixed agenda," but a "loosely coherent group of tendencies, issues, and questions"
In easy words we can say that, Cultural Studies is like investigating why people do the things they do and how their culture, like their traditions, art, and beliefs, influences their actions and ideas. It's a way to understand the big picture of society and how it shapes our lives.
Cultural studies began in the 1960s because there was a lot of social unrest. It's like a mix of different ideas and studies, like Marxism, poststructuralism, feminism, and more. These studies look at things that bring people together or make them feel separated and alone, like society, culture, and how different groups of people are treated.
Types of cultural study
1.New Historicism
2.British Culture Materialism
3.Postcolonial Study
4.American Multiculturalism
What is AI ??
AI (artificial intelligence) describes a machine's ability to perform tasks and mimic intelligence at a similar level as human AI .
In other words we can say that AI, which stands for Artificial Intelligence, is like teaching computers to think and learn like humans. It's like giving them a smart brain to do tasks that usually need human thinking, like talking to you, recognizing faces, and solving problems.
People's lives have changed a lot because of AI:
1. Machines Do More Work: AI helps machines do jobs on their own, so people don't have to do boring or hard work as much.
2. Smart Suggestions: AI tells you what movies to watch, what songs to listen to, and what stuff to buy based on what you like.
3. Better Health Care: Doctors use AI to find sicknesses and choose treatments that work best for each person.
4. Self-Driving Cars: Some cars can drive themselves safely, thanks to AI.
5. Talking to Computers: You can talk to your phone or computer, and it understands you because of AI.
6. More Fun Games and Movies: AI helps make cool video games and awesome movie effects.
But sometimes, people worry about AI taking away jobs or using their personal information. So, we need to be careful and use AI in a good and safe way.
How did AI emerge ??
AI, or Artificial Intelligence, does not have a single origin or a single individual responsible for its creation. Instead, AI has evolved over many years through the contributions of numerous scientists, mathematicians, and researchers from around the world.
The idea of creating machines that can simulate human intelligence dates back to ancient times, but the formal field of AI as we know it today began to take shape in the mid-20th century. Some key figures and milestones in the history of AI include:
1. Alan Turing: Turing, a British mathematician and computer scientist, laid the theoretical foundation for AI with his concept of a universal machine that could simulate any human computation. His work on the Turing Test also influenced thinking about machine intelligence.
2. John McCarthy : McCarthy, an American computer scientist, coined the term "Artificial Intelligence" in 1956 and organised the Dartmouth Workshop, which is considered the birth of AI as a field of study.
3. Early Researchers : Many early AI pioneers, such as Marvin Minsky, Herbert Simon, and Allen Newell, made significant contributions to AI by developing early AI programs and theories.
4. Advancements Over Time :
AI has continued to advance with contributions from researchers, universities, and tech companies. Breakthroughs in machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning have propelled AI to new heights.
So, AI is the result of collaborative efforts and contributions from a wide range of individuals and organizations over the years, rather than having a single originator. It's a field that continues to evolve and expand as technology advances.
As AI becomes more advanced and widespread, the concerns about its potential dangers are growing more prominent. Geoffrey Hinton, often called the "Godfather of AI" due to his pioneering work in machine learning and neural networks, has raised alarm bells. He worries that AI could become smarter than us and potentially take control, emphasizing the need to take precautions to prevent such a scenario. In 2023, Hinton even left his position at Google to focus on discussing the risks associated with AI, revealing that he has some regrets about his life's work.
Geoffrey Hinton is not the only one expressing these concerns. Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, joined forces with over 1,000 other tech leaders in a 2023 open letter. They called for a temporary halt on large-scale AI experiments, pointing out that this technology has the potential to bring significant risks to society and humanity. The collective worry is that as AI advances, it's crucial to ensure its safe and responsible development.AI
RISKS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Automation-spurred job loss
Deep Fakes
Privacy violations
Algorithmic bias caused by bad data
Socioeconomic inequality
Market volatility
Weapons automatization
Uncontrollable self-aware AI
Whether it’s the increasing automation of certain jobs, gender and racially biased algorithms or autonomous weapons that operate without human oversight (to name just a few), unease abounds on a number of fronts.
IS AI DANGEROUS?
The tech community has long debated the threats posed by artificial intelligence. Automation of jobs, the spread of fake news and a dangerous arms race of AI-powered weaponry have been mentioned as some of the biggest dangers posed by AI.
1 . LACK OF AI TRANSPARENCY AND EXPLAINABILITY
AI can be like a black box, making it hard to know why it makes certain decisions. This lack of transparency can lead to biased or unsafe outcomes. Some are working on "explainable AI" to make AI systems more understandable, but it's not widespread yet.
2. JOB LOSSES DUE TO AI AUTOMATION
AI automation is causing worries about job losses, especially in industries like marketing, manufacturing, and healthcare. McKinsey says up to 30% of work hours in the U.S. could be automated by 2030. Goldman Sachs even predicts 300 million jobs might be lost to AI.
While AI will create new jobs, many workers may not have the skills for them. Even professions like law and accounting could see AI take over tasks like contract analysis. So, job security could be a challenge as AI gets smarter.
3. SOCIAL MANIPULATION THROUGH AI ALGORITHMS
AI can be used for social manipulation. For example, politicians use platforms like TikTok to influence voters. TikTok's AI shows users content related to what they've seen before, but it struggles to filter out harmful info. AI can also create fake images, videos, and voices, making it tough to tell real news from fake. This creates confusion and makes it hard to trust what you see and hear.
4. SOCIAL SURVEILLANCE WITH AI TECHNOLOGY
AI technology can be used for social surveillance, like China's facial recognition tracking in schools and offices. It can collect a lot of data on people's lives. In the U.S., predictive policing algorithms can lead to over-policing in Black communities. The worry is that AI might be used in authoritarian ways and could affect democracies too. So, it's essential to set limits on its use.
5. LACK OF DATA PRIVACY USING AI TOOLS
When you use AI chatbots or face filters, your data gets collected. But it's unclear where it goes and how it's used. Sometimes, your data might not even be safe from other users. In the U.S. There are laws to protect personal info, but none specifically for AI-related data privacy issues. I shared one video here in which misused data by AI tools…
6. BIASES DUE TO AI
AI can have biases, not just related to gender and race but also because humans create it, and we all have our own biases. AI developers often come from similar backgrounds, making it hard to consider all perspectives. This can lead to AI not understanding different accents or chatbots making insensitive choices. To avoid these biases, developers and companies need to be more careful and inclusive.
7. SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITY AS A RESULT OF AI
AI in recruiting can have biases, making it unfair. Also, AI-driven job loss affects blue-collar workers more, with wage declines up to 70%, while white-collar workers often benefit. Claims that AI breaks social boundaries or creates more jobs don't tell the whole story. We need to consider race, class, and other factors to see who really benefits from AI.
8. WEAKENING ETHICS AND GOODWILL BECAUSE OF AI
People, including religious leaders, worry about AI's impact. Pope Francis warned that AI can spread false information and harm the common good if not controlled properly. The rise of AI like ChatGPT raises concerns, like using it to cheat in school. Some worry that the desire for profit might lead us to use AI without considering the consequences.
9.LOSS OF HUMAN INFLUENCE
An overreliance on AI technology could result in the loss of human influence — and a lack in human functioning — in some parts of society. Using AI in healthcare could result in reduced human empathy and reasoning, for instance. And applying generative AI for creative endeavors could diminish human creativity and emotional expression. Interacting with AI systems too much could even cause reduced peer communication and social skills. So while AI can be very helpful for automating daily tasks, some question if it might hold back overall human intelligence, abilities and need for community.
How to Mitigate the Risks of AI
To make the most of AI's benefits while avoiding risks, many experts believe that strict regulations are needed. There's a concern that AI could become smarter than us and potentially act with harmful intentions. This isn't just a sci-fi issue; it's something politicians should address now.
This all are the risk of AI tool which we have use earlier. It's harmful and also useful too. But aware about these all risks.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment