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Phillip Hunter
Professor Meghan Rand
UWRT 1103
10 November 2014
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Life
Throughout recent times, even in a digital age of smart phones, computers, and
the Internet, a field of technology about which many people are often naive is that of
artificial intelligence. This emerging area of technology, which has been fantasized
about within various forms of pop culture, affects an increasing number of facets within
our lives. From running the robotic machinery that produces the products we use, to
sophisticated personal assistants included within modern smartphones, artificial
intelligence is possibly the pinnacle of modern computational engineering. The ability to
capture the human essence into an inanimate object has been dreamed of since
ancient times. Now, in the early years of the 21st century, artificial intelligence impacts
us in some way in almost every aspect of our lives. The general population, not just
computer scientists, must understand how this technology affects us in order to truly
embrace this technology's exponential growth in our society.
To understand the impacts of artificial intelligence in todays world, it must be
known that artificial intelligence is not a completely modern concept. Fascination with
inanimate devices capable of a semblance of human thought are rooted in even the
early time of the Greeks. Within Greek mythology, a crippled god of fire and the divine
smith Hephaestus was forced to fashion attendants to help him walk and assist in his
forge (McCorduck 4). The Greek depictions regarding the transfer of human essence

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into man-made beings is a prominent foreshadowing of future technology. The Greeks

were not the only pre-contemporary society that envisioned a machine capable of
thought. A group of Arab astrologers was able to create a machine called a zairja to
interpret numerical values, classes, and letters to reach an insight into their field
(McCorduck 9). Events such as these, while seeming somewhat primitive, constitute the
foundation on which modern artificial intelligence has been built. Around the time that
these technologies could finally be realized, in 1915 a Spanish scientist named
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo began to postulate a piece of machinery that would
become the concept of a self-aware robot. This device was envisioned to possess
subsystems with organ counterparts, such as a range of thermometers, magnetic
compasses, dynamometers, manometers, and limbs (McCorduck 49). Some of the
most important work in this field was completed by Alan Turing. Turing designed his
machines using the human brain as a model for which to base his machines thought
processes off (McCorduck 55). By basing a man-made method of thought on the
decision making and logic algorithms subconsciously executed by humans ever second,
an accurate, practical, and multipurpose creation is allowed to come to fruition.
Present day artificial intelligence technologies exist all around us, however are
often misunderstood by the general public. One must realize that artificial intelligence
isnt a form of false intelligence. It is a true form of intellect that is simply computed by
a man-made device. Most people, however, have an incorrect definition of artificial
ingrained in their minds. For instance, if someone says that they are going to put
artificial flowers in their yard, one would treat this to be synonymous with fake flowers.
While artificial, or man-made, is technically a correct title for this field, there is a push to

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rename the entire discipline to computational intelligence in an effort to convey the

hypothesis of this field within the title and avoid confusion regarding the topic (Poole 1).
Artificial intelligence utilizes the many of the same principles to compute data that the
human body uses to function. This causes a cross-discipline study between neural and
computer sciences. One of the most challenging aspects of artificial intelligence is the
requirement of quantifying human thought into mathematical logic that can be digitized
into a computer. The human brain must be simplified in order for this process to occur
(Tsang), as neural networks must be used as computational models to attempt to
simulate and comprehend their workings (Kruse 9) . This capacity that is inherent in
artificial intelligence allows it to affect our lives in countless ways. Consider a typical
morning commute to work in a big city. First, a person may ask their smartphone what
the days weather will be like using voice commands. They would then proceed to arm a
security system and enter their car. While driving, they may utilize a GPS navigation
service to aid them in their travel. The traffic lights in the city allow for the safe passage
of their multi-ton, 55 mph vehicle through similar constructions. Finally, when they get to
work, they may swipe a key card to gain entry into their building and begin their day of
work. These points, in addition to many more, constitute an effect of artificial intelligence
on this persons life. When using voice commands on a phone, an artificial intelligence
personal assistant such as Siri queries databases for data relating to the weather, using
input sensors to gain the users location. When arming a security system, the system is
set to make decisions when input from its sensors and controls are activated in specific
ways. A GPS system retrieves a location from the user as to where to navigate to, and
uses computational algorithms combined with GPS input in an effort to find the optimal

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pathway to the intended destination. The cities traffic lights are programmed by the
transportation authority to create an optimal and safe flow of traffic, depending on where
cars are located relative to the stop light. The system also takes into account
pedestrians crossing the road to ensure their safety as well. When the person finally
reaches their destination, their key card is queried against the companies security
server to ensure that the user belongs in the area that they are trying to enter. In reality,
there are many more impacts on a persons life in this time period. However,
researchers have only recently began to crack the surface in reaching the full
capabilities of artificial intelligence.
We must look forward to future prospective aspects of artificial intelligence. Soon,
work such as cleaning a house could be completed by an artificial intelligence.
Helicopters could be self-controlled and safer, through eliminating the virtually any
possibility of human error. Machines that can see the world, think, and understand the
world (Ng) may soon be in reach. Various military and law enforcement uses of artificial
intelligence are already being developed that can almost completely remove the aspect
of death in the line of duty. Robots that can eliminate human error during surgery may
arise, greatly improving survivability in the medical spectrum. The future of artificial
intelligence holds possibilities to reshape the dynamic of fields ranging from video
games characters to intelligent advanced academic search engines to life saving robots
(Ng). This technology is the destination for which modern computer science, as well as
biomedical research is headed. We must embrace the advancement of this technology
in order to improve almost every aspect of our lives and our world as a whole.

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Works Cited
Kruse, Rudolf. Computational Intelligence: A Methodological Introduction. London:
Springer, 2013. Print.,
McCorduck, Pamela. Machines Who Think: A Personal Inquiry into the History and
Prospects of Artificial Intelligence. 25th Anniversary Update. Natick A.K. Peters,
2004. Print.
Ng, Andrew. The Future of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Stanford. YouTube, 22
May 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Poole, David L., and Alan K. Mackworth. Computational Intelligence: A Logical
Approach.
New York : Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.
Tsang, Wai. The Fractal Brain Theory & the Unification of Neuroscience with AI &
Psychology. YouTube, 4 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.

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Reflection
The most interesting thing that I learned while completing this inquiry project is
that almost every aspect of our lives involve artificial intelligence. I knew that artificial
intelligence played a large amount to our lives (which is a reason I picked this topic),
however until I started thinking of specific impacts for the commute to work example, I
hadn't realized that artificial intelligence directly contributed so much to day-to-day life.
Before the project I assumed that A.I. stayed mostly in the background, such as in
production jobs and such. The main obstacle faced in this project was forming an
argument from a highly technical topic. I obtained books and a lot of information on the
subject but never did completely solidify it into a really concise opinion. The hardest
question I had to ask myself was Why does this topic/argument matter? Because I
never could nail down an exact, concise argument, I spent a lot of time fumbling over
the question itself rather than actually generating content for the paper. My inquiry
question changed from a more research paper type hypothesis to a somewhat
argumentative question. The historical view on my topic was very important as it is
important to see how civilization has longed to capture the human essence for so long. I
think that when learning about subjects, I will attempt to find potential argumentative
issues within them more, instead of just learning the material. I am most proud that I
was able to convey a message to a reader about a topic that I am interested in and that
I hope will become more interesting to others. I would like to know more about jobs and
career fields in which artificial intelligence is utilized. As I said within the writing, artificial
intelligence is possibly the pinnacle of contemporary human technology. Therefore, I

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would like to be in a field that has the honor of having some sort of interaction with
artificial intelligence.