AI is becoming huge in today’s world. It can talk to you in an uncannily human way, create images and videos that look unsettingly realistic, and much more. But is AI really as consequential and important as people say it is? Or is that just a myth? Let’s take a look at the potential consequences of this hyper-futuristic-sounding technology.

First, we’ll talk about some of the positives. AI can quickly process data, has the ability to take in huge chunks of text and respond within seconds. In the healthcare industry, it could help to find cures for diseases that have yet to be cured. The study of climate change could also receive a major breakthrough using AI, as the technology could help to analyze data that could lead to an incredible discovery about global warming.

But it’s still important to talk about the negatives. One of the most influential negative effects of AI is that it could steal jobs. Some jobs in danger would be data entry, scheduling, customer service, and more. Another negative is hallucinations – when AI says something completely wrong or random, leading to false information. There is also the possibility of energy over-consumption.

Yet to truly recognize these impacts, it’s important to understand how AI actually works. In simple terms, it works by using algorithms (or methods) to learn patterns and use those patterns to create “new” things. It’s “new” because AI doesn’t create, it just reuses things it’s learned from its vast amounts of data that it’s trained on. This can lead to bias or misinformation, so it’s important to always check what it says to you.

So – AI. Is it good or bad? Scary or cool? Well, the truth is, we don’t know yet – because AI is still evolving. It was only invented in 1956 – almost 70 years ago now. So stay tuned, and keep an eye out for this emerging technology.