人工智能的“阴阳”面田永娱

2020-12-29田永娱

疯狂英语·爱英语 2020年12期

田永娱

Janus， the Roman god， has two faces looking in opposite directions. So does artificial intelligence（AI）. On one side are the positive changes， enabling people to achieve more， far more quickly， by using technology to improve their existing skills. Look the other way， though， and there are plenty of potential pitfalls.

Like Janus， technological change may also cause disruption（混乱）， but AI is likely to have a bigger impact than anything since the appearance of computers， and its consequences could be far more disruptive.

In the years ahead， AI will raise three big questions for bosses and governments. One is the effect on jobs. Although CEOs publicly praise the broad benefits AI will bring， their main interest lies in cutting costs. One European bank asked Infosys to find a way of reducing the staff in its operations department from 50，000 to 500. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2030 up to 375m people， or 14% of the global workforce， could have their jobs replaced by AI.

The second important question is how to protect privacy（隐私） as AI spreads. The Internet has already made it possible to track peoples digital behavior in minute detail. AI will offer even better tools for businesses to monitor consumers and employees， both online and in the physical world. Consumers are sometimes happy to go along with this if it results in personalised service or promotions. But AI is bound to bring invasion of privacy that is seen as unacceptable. For example，

law?enforcement officials around the world will use AI to spot criminals， but may also monitor ordinary citizens.

The third question is about the effect of AI on competition in business. A technology company that achieves a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence could race ahead of rivals， put others out of business and lessen competition. This is unlikely to happen in the near future， but if it did it would be of great concern.

It is too early to tell whether the positive changes brought by AI will outweigh the risk. But it will put an end to traditional ways of doing things and start a new era for business and for the world at large.

1. Why is Janus mentioned？

A. To support AI.

B. To tell its difference.

C. To introduce the topic.

D. To praise the Roman god.

2. What does the underlined word “pitfalls” in paragraph 1 probably mean？

A. Risks. B. Effects.

C. Benefits D. Consequences.

3. Whats the main idea of the passage？

A. Privacy is threatened by AI.

B. AI is a double?edged sword.

C. AI will enjoy a bright future.