Change is the need of the hour. If we do not change according to the changing times, we will be out of the mainstream. In the past, whoever opposed change or did not move with the times, either became obsolete or got isolated from society or country and the world or their existence was erased from the world forever. Although, change has been happening for centuries, but in the twenty-first century, the biggest carriers of change have been computers, internet, mobile etc. and they have completely changed the condition and direction of economy, society, religion and politics today. Now the next name in this series is Artificial Intelligence or AI.
Many researchers have contributed to the inventing of AI in the decade of 1950s, but the main role was played by Alan Turing and John McCarthy. Under this concept, AI has been developed in the form of computer systems or robotic systems that are capable of thinking, understanding and solving problems and taking decisions like humans based on the available data, but in this context the machine cannot decide about the future or imagine or give any result other than programming. This invention got recognition in the 1970s and in the 1980s work was done towards fifth generation and super-computers and thereafter too, research is being done constantly for brining advancement in AI.
Today many countries are trying to gain proficiency in this and make human resources skilled & reskilled in this new field. Work has been done in this direction under the name “Elvi” in Britain and “Esprit” in the European Union countries. In Asian countries, China, Singapore, Japan and India are making efforts to become proficient and skilled in AI. In a small country like Singapore, 500 million Singapore dollars have been invested on AI under the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2:00 plan.
India has spent billions of rupees to develop fifth generation technology start-ups and now efforts are being made to promote research, and skill development in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Blockchain, Robotics, Digital Manufacturing, Big Data Intelligence, Real Time Data, Quantum Communication etc. and due to these reasons, in the year 2024, India occupies the third place in the world in terms of AI research.
Today, ChatGPT is being used the most under AI, but now Sora OpenAI has developed a video generative artificial intelligence model that specializes in text-to-video generation. It can create and expand short video clips as per the instructions of the user. It has not yet come to the market, but it is believed that the day it debuts in the market, there will be a radical change in many areas, the most affected of which will be the film industry. In this light, the user will just put his imagination into words and its video version will appear. With its help, the user will also be able to make the film himself without the help of any expert.
The need for VFX in the film will also end. VFX, Visual Effects, is the process of creating or changing imagery in the context of live-action shots in film and video production and impossible things such as creatures, effects, cities, or computer-generated imagery can be added to it, but with the help of Sora OpenAI, users will be able to do all these tasks smoothly even without the help of any skilled. Obviously, this will affect not only India but the film industry around the world.
Due to Sora OpenAI, it will be difficult to differentiate between fake and real videos in the coming days. Be it advertisement or making a perfect video of a person or imitating someone’s voice, everything will be possible. People will lose faith in the authenticity of videos. The form of crime and fraud will change completely. Police, bureaucrats, regulators etc. will all have to learn & understand AI, otherwise it will not take long for anarchy to spread all over the world.
According to the data of the World Economic Forum, currently in India, 59 percent of male employees in the age group of 18 to 65 use AI tools at least once a week, while this participation is 51 percent among women. At the same time, 71 percent of men between 18 and 25 years use AI, while the percentage of girls in the same age group is 59. Today, whether you are living in a village or in a town or in a city or a metropolis, AI has arrived everywhere. Self-driving cars, robotic vacuum cleaners, smart assistants like Alexa etc. are vivid and popular examples of AI, which are present all over the country.
The greatest impact of AI is being seen in the work of programming, data analysis, web development, content writing, editing, translation, graphic design, accounting, banking, postal department, telecommunication, data entry etc. AI is also gradually changing the entire functioning of call centres. “Home Serve” a technical company has developed an AI-supported assistant or chat bot that can attend 11,400 calls a day.
According to an estimate, 81.6 percent of jobs in the field of content writing and editing will be affected by AI at some level. By 2027, more than 75 lakh data entry jobs may be eliminated. At the same time, AI will have a negative impact on 60 percent of jobs in developed countries. 55 percent of workers may also lose their jobs. It is being said that in the coming years, more than 30 crore people will lose their jobs due to AI.
In such a situation, we will have to understand that how much impact will AI have in India? Certainly, AI will have an impact on banking, call centres, editing, content writing, retail sector and partly on health and education sectors in India too. Routine and non-financial tasks in banks are being performed through AI, which has reduced the vacancy of award staff. Its effect is being seen in journalism. Editing and content writing is being done with the help of ChatGPT.
However, even in the era of AI, AI will not be able to defeat skilled craftsmen, artists, writers, musicians, teachers, doctors, because AI cannot imagine. It cannot write new poems and stories on its own. It cannot develop new creations or designs, etc. Nevertheless, it can copy available products or content very quickly and with great finesse, which is bound to have a negative impact on employment in the country and the world.
AI basically works on the basis of available data. Therefore, it is not possible to use it properly at present, since clean data is not available in the market. There is a proverb “Garbage in, garbage out” which means that by analysing wrong data, we will get wrong results. However, Sora OpenAI can prove to be a game changer in this case, because with its help, it will work as instructed by the user. Despite this, it will take some time to understand how and how much impact AI will have in India, because there are many such aspects like illiteracy, lack of financial literacy, gender discrimination, poverty, income inequality, etc., which reduce the percentage and impact of both the advantages and disadvantages of AI in India. Nevertheless, the government will have to set policy priorities for the use of AI and plan for skilling and re-skilling for all citizens, otherwise both India and Indians will be irrelevant in the coming years .
Satish Singh, Ahmedabad Based Senior Columnist, views are personal.
