True or false...?
Our lives are becoming increasingly digital. Artificial intelligence has long since evolved from the stuff of science fiction into reality.
Put your knowledge about our everyday digital world to the test...
Put your knowledge about our everyday digital world to the test...
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True. 380 500 euros – that’s how much someone was willing to pay for a painting by a computer in 2018. The artwork created by an artificial intelligence (AI) went under the hammer at auction house Christie’s. But that’s not all. AI also writes music that even experts can’t tell apart from works by human composers, and in 2021 it completed Beethoven’s 10th Symphony. What’s more, artificial intelligence trained in human poetry can create poems in the style of renowned figures such as Goethe and Schiller. Be it paintings, compositions, or poetry – experts are in disagreement as to whether such works are genuine art or just imitations. Either way, humans are unable to tell the difference.
Again2Frage 2 von 5Artificial intelligence can recognize the spread of infectious diseases such as coronavirus faster than the World Health Organization (WHO).TrueYesFalseNo
True. Artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of reliably predicting the spread of infectious diseases. A computer program developed by the Canadian company BlueDot issued a warning about the outbreak of coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan and the consequential spreading nine days before the WHO. For its prognosis, the software sourced data from flight databases, official health warnings, regional news, blogs, and forum posts, among other things. The calculations were then assessed by epidemiologists.
Again3Frage 3 von 5Computers can figure out what we are like as a person based on a few likes on social networks.TrueYesFalseNo
True. Sharing information on social networks about what you like reveals a lot about you as a person. In a study, researchers from Stanford University and the University of Cambridge concluded that, based on Facebook likes, computers can assess an individual’s personality traits at least as accurately as close friends and family can. The more likes that were evaluated, the better the computer’s assessment was. Those who wish to protect their data from misuse should therefore disclose as little information about themselves as possible. This includes making likes in social networks private – with a simple click of the privacy button.
AgainFalse. To date, computers have not replaced court judges. But even the justice system cannot escape digitalization. In the United States, judges are using AI systems – in particular, such systems’ predictions regarding the likelihood of recidivism in specific cases – as aids in making decisions on the severity of sentences. Outside of the sphere of adjudication, AI also plays a role in the wider justice system, including in Germany. Lawyers use software to see how likely an appeal against penalty fines for traffic offenses is to succeed, which allows them to get through ten times more cases. The use of Algo-whatartificial intelligence in the legal system ought to serve the public. That’s why, in 2018, the Council of Europe published fundamental ethical principles for deploying AI in this context. Among other things, it is now necessary to be able to check how artificial intelligence reaches its conclusions.
Again
Are you asking yourself what exactly an algorithm is? The satirical video, “Kroymann at the butcher’s,” a production of the German ARD television network, gives you a rough idea. Link to video
Man against machine
But what will happen if technical algorithms become increasingly faster, better, and smarter? Will the data that we voluntarily share not only be used for advertising purposes, but also to manipulate us? If artificial intelligence perhaps knows us better than we do, should we let it make our decisions for us? Will our lives become easier if robots and other machines take over more and more tasks from us? And what will we do then? Will we perhaps become one with machines? Or is the history of humanity coming to an end?
Privacy was nothing more than a phase that is now over. Mae Holland in the film “The Circle”
The science-fiction film “The Circle” is based on the successful novel by Dave Eggers. It tells the story of ambitious, young professional Mae Holland who works at The Circle, the world’s most influential IT company. The Circle advocates for complete transparency from everyone. The right to anonymity is abolished, eliminating any difference between what is private and what is public. People wear mini cameras that constantly stream recordings to the web. As far as the company is concerned, if you don’t have anything to hide, you’ve got no reason to refuse such transparency. The more people who subscribe to this logic, the more powerful The Circle becomes.
Look out the window! Your time is up. The future belongs to the machines. Agent Smith in the film “The Matrix”
In the film “The Matrix”, humanity has developed increasingly intelligent machines in the 21st century. Artificial intelligence is demanding equality. Yet humans refuse. The machine revolution becomes an inevitability. In an attempt to turn off the machines, humans darken the skies to block their access to energy. But the machines are more powerful and win the war. To ensure they have enough energy, they raise humans in intensive farms. Nutrition tanks provide the humans with everything they need to survive. A virtual illusion – the matrix – lets them believe they are living in a real world. Very few are able to see through this illusion and break free. Agent Smith pursues those who rebel.
I would rather die a man, than live for all eternity a machine. Andrew in the film “Bicentennial Man”
The movie “Bicentennial Man” is based on a book by Isaac Asimov, one of the best-known science fiction writers of the 20th century. The story is set in 2005. Machines are servants for humans. Household robot Andrew is unique in that he develops feelings and self-awareness. As the years go on, he increasingly develops human traits. He asks his owners for freedom so he can achieve his dream – to be accepted as a human. The world parliament, however, refuses to give him human status because he is immortal. In response, Andrew changes his body to initiate a natural aging process. Shortly before his death, he is officially recognized as the oldest human by the world parliament.
Potential for a better world
Science fiction movies show us how some people imagine the future – but no one can predict what it will look like in reality. Day in, day out, we all experience that our world is changing at an ever-greater speed. Computers and artificial intelligence now play indispensable roles in our daily lives. Most of the time, they help us without our even noticing their operation. This is the start of a development that can no longer be stopped – and we wouldn’t want to stop it, either. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would, seeing as artificial intelligence can help us detect illnesses and develop new methods of treatment. If we find technical solutions to slow down climate change, who would be against using them? And who would want to wave goodbye to the ability to always keep in touch no matter how far apart we are? Yet it’s naturally important that we don’t let all our enthusiasm cloud our judgment as we head into the digital future, but rather define a clear direction and a binding framework. At the end of the day, artificial intelligence is just a neutral tool. We, the humans, are the ones who decide whether it works to our advantage or not.
Power through the network
When it comes to shaping our digital future, we all have our part to play – not just politicians and companies. Every single one of us can make a contribution and take part in decision-making processes. Here, too, digitalization offers valuable assistance. Never before have we had unrestricted access to information. Never before have we been able to communicate and organize ourselves so easily across borders. We can make ourselves heard and influence social debates, for example, with online petitions. We are able to condemn injustices and call out those responsible directly online. Last but not least, we can come together as a global community and fight for a common objective. The Fridays for Future movement and the #MeToo debate are just some examples of what can be achieved.
The internet has been reshaping political and grassroots activism – and it has been changing politics itself. More on this subject is available at Digital Democracy.
With a few simple – but effective – tricks, you can protect your privacy online without becoming a digital outsider. Here, you can learn more about how to protect your privacy.
