Rise of AI: shaping the 5th Industrial Revolution

After Charles Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’, the first biological connection between humans and animals was discovered. It rejected human exceptionalism. With this biological change in human history, we moved towards radically different boundaries. As the Industrial Revolution emerged, humans fused with machines. We became irresistible to machines, extending human capability through them. Humans didn’t stop here and moved further to cross nature and cultural boundaries. As technology advanced in the 20^th Century, human agency became more hybrid. Now we are at the crossroads of civilisation. Increasing automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are bringing about the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR). The 5IR will be recognised through algorithms, unlike the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) which is characterised by mechanisation of production and mass labour. The 5IR will be based on invisible and intangible algorithms.

AI acts as the catalyst for 5IR. It provides grounds to move away from humans-driven solutions to algorithm-based decision-making. In his book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, Nick Bostrom argues that AI’s cognitive capacities permit it to accomplish jobs formerly believed to be the exclusive realm of humans. These jobs include understanding complex languages, recognising patterns and making difficult judgments. The 4IR was based on human capacity to learn, adapt and decide. Before automation and tech advancement, human cognition was crucial to many things. The sun of the 4IR seems to be waning, and new horizons of 5IR are on the way. As human cognitive abilities have been surpassed by algorithms in the 21^st Century, it is evidence that 5IR is about to set.

In contrast with the machine-based 4IR, the 5IR is a silent revolution, demonstrating how humans’ cognitive skills have been outnumbered by algorithms in the last decade. For example, Google’s DeepMind created Alpha Go, an AI programme that overthrew the world champion of Go, a game more complicated than chess. This accomplishment was not just a success of algorithmic machines over humans in a board competition, it was an indication of AI’s potential to decipher complication and make judgments once believed to be exclusively the domain of humans.

Before automation and AI, humans performed high-skilled labour. But now highly complex cognitive tasks can be executed through AI. For instance, Tempus, a tech company, uses AI to investigate clinical and molecular data to improve patient outcomes. Their forum utilises machine learning algorithms to comprehend a patient’s unique diagnosis and infer personalised treatment choices. This is how AI has the potential to break through new revolution on our tiny planet.

Language evolution is attributed to humans’ competent mindset. In the last thousand years, humans have taken pride in their linguistic viability. With the rise of OpenAI’s GPT-3 and GPT-4, a language prediction model, algorithms can develop human-like text, answer questions, translate speeches and even compose poems. This is one of AI’s most efficient triumphs over humans in one of their creative domains. Now AI can produce languages and text models like humans which will pave the way for the 4IR in terms of languages.

The 5IR could have disruptive and creative outcomes for human society. As knowledge has become a central part of human life due to a high superlative degree of cognitive efficiency, it has put an extra burden on those with low cognitive skills in the 21^st century. Cognitive Capitalism has emerged in this response which favours few proficient in high-skilled work. The low-skilled labour will systematically end and this will lead to economic insecurity and an emerging class known as the Precariat in the sociological paradigm. This class can disrupt society’s political and social setup.

AI could revolutionise the economy, agriculture, politics and society, but it could also have disruptive effects on our coming generations. We need to understand that the 5IR will create new opportunities and challenges.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2023.

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