The Reliance of AI: What's the problem?
KUALA LUMPUR:In this age of technology where the introduction of AI has greatly enhanced humanity’s efficiency in the workforce, the increasing use of AI has shown widespread results, with individuals across the world using them for various aspects of their life.
Whether it be using chatbots to discuss topics, asking AI algorithms to come up with superb ideas for a project, or even reviewing problems they are facing in complex mathematics or coding questions, AI has everything for people across all facets of life.
However, with the great power AI has provided us, there are great responsibilities we must undertake, and as users of such an intricate piece of tool, we must be aware of the flaws it can potentially bring unto us all, especially if we rely too heavily on it.
In an interview with two individuals who have past experiences with AI, they’ve come forward to share their opinions on the use of AI, their positives and negatives, as well as what overreliance can come of it.
For Lew Jia Wei, 22, a student studying in Bachelor in Software Engineering at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, she utilizes AI for both her coursework and work, applying code she generated through chatbots.
“I think I have a bit of a reliance on AI because I use it on a daily basis to generate code, instead of actually coding it by myself. But this has made me gone down (diminished) my skills in coding,” She said.
In studies shown from America and Europe, it was found that 27% of Gen Z in IT related jobs have a significant reliance on AI, and 80% of Gen Z professionals (18 to 21) use AI for half of their work tasks.
This is an increasingly alarming trend since these people are the very individuals in this field of work that are essential to most of how the world is run today in this age of rapidly advancing technology.
For Lew Jia Jun, 17, a secondary school student studying at SMJK Chong Hwa, he highlights the problems of AI as well and additionally states exactly why it is a concerning matter.
“AI is prone to problems like hallucinations, where they make up fake information without sources which can lead to a lot of misinformation. In coding, their code has a lot of vulnerabilities,” He shared.
AI should not be a source of information one is to take from, and to support this, studies show that AI generated text has an accuracy below 80%, an entire 20% margin!
“A lot of AI is made to respond to how the user wants to, instead of how people would actually respond. AI would make up a fantasy instead of actually talking,” He added.
When it comes to AI, it is integral to realize the dangers of over-relying on AI. Despite it being an integral tool, it is important to use it responsibly and refrain from its constant usage, and in the words of Lew Jia Wei when asked for the challenges she’s faced to regain her skills:
“Not overuse it. Because I was so reliant on AI, I lost some coding skills, but I would try on doing other stuff such as researching and actually learning it (coding) instead of using AI.
“AI should be used mindfully and not used for everything. If you are using AI, you should make sure all the sources are correct and actually what you want,” Lew Jia Jun added.