E-Business
The Onslaught of Artificial Intelligence (AI) part 1
By Evans Woherem, Ph.D
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it is expected to have a significant impact on how we live and work. The integration of AI is a complex issue that requires a thorough understanding of the potential benefits and risks of this technology.
In this piece, DR. EVANS WOHEREM throws open an honest conversation about the implications of this technology and the need for collaboration to ensure that its development and use align with human values and promote the well-being of all individuals.
- Introduction
I have always believed that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a promethean technology that can be used for good or evil. I therefore feel that while we welcome its positive uses, the negative impacts could be too deleterious for humanity to control or endure, and as such, we should have international treaties and controls put in place to regulate the technology.
With the arrival of ChatGPT and the promise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and possibly Artificial Super Intelligent (ASI) systems, I am even more convinced that some internationally agreed sets of controls and laws guiding the behaviour of such systems, and hardwired into the AI systems, should be implemented as soon as possible.
- My Early Years in AI
I started studying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 1983 when I enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Cognition, Computing, and Psychology at the University of Warwick in England.
The course was all about AI – how to build AI systems by studying humans to determine what makes them intelligent and then applying that knowledge to develop intelligence-based systems. Since then, I have been keeping track of the development of artificial intelligence and its uses in various industries.
The knowledge and understanding of what makes humans intelligent have been applied to the development of AI systems capable of performing tasks previously thought to be unique to human intelligence. It is crucial to consider any possible disadvantages of these intelligence-based systems as we continue to push the limits of AI. That is why it is significant to develop internationally agreed-upon sets of controls and laws to govern the development and use of AI or intelligence-based systems.
Intelligence-based systems, also known as cognitive systems, imitate human intelligence and execute activities that typically require human intelligence, such as interpreting a spoken language, identifying objects or photographs, making judgments, and learning from prior experiences. When such systems are built, those who believe in the strong AI hypothesis refer to them as having human intelligence or intentionality.
On the other hand, those who believe in the weak AI hypotheses view intelligence-based systems as a tool or technology used to automate or enhance specific jobs rather than as an end in itself.
They see AI as a tool for better decision-making, increased productivity, and the provision of new insights and information. However, to those that believe in the strong hypothesis, if a system can display all the cognitive traits of people, it should be considered human.
During my above study course, I came to believe that humans are very creative and capable of building the above types of systems over time. However, I did not believe in the strong hypothesis; rather, I believed and still believe in the weak hypothesis of AI, as did people like Professor John Searle. He is widely known for his “Chinese Room” thought experiment.
In his thought experiment, Prof. Searle proposes that a person in an enclosed room who does not speak Chinese be given a set of rules and symbols that allow him or her to communicate in Chinese with a Chinese speaker outside the room.
The person in the room can receive Chinese words, convert them into English, understand the communication, respond in English, and then convert the response back into Chinese. It appears that the person in the room speaks Chinese fluently to the Chinese speaker outside the room.
However, the person in the room does not understand Chinese; he or she is simply manipulating symbols according to a set of rules. Searle argues that this thought experiment illustrates that a machine or algorithm can simulate an understanding of a natural language without actually understanding it. He further argues that this is true of AI systems in general: they can display traits associated with human intelligence, but this does not mean they possess genuine human intelligence or consciousness.
He suggests that the true objective of AI should be to produce machines that can perform specialized tasks efficiently rather than trying to build machines that can fully comprehend and have consciousness like humans.
John Searle’s opinions on the weak AI hypothesis have been widely studied and considered significant in AI. Hubert Dreyfus, a philosopher, and Daniel Dennett, a cognitive scientist, are two well-known individuals who have endorsed Searle’s opinions. It’s important to note that this thought experiment raises many questions and criticisms.
Some argue that this thought experiment is not a fair representation of AI, that it doesn’t take cognizance of the complexity of the human mind and consciousness, and that the Chinese Room thought experiment is not a fair representation of how AI systems work.
I believe that Prof. John Searle is right, AI systems are mere powerful symbol manipulators. However, that they are merely manipulating symbols does not detract from the fact that humans can judge their capabilities as human like, and so, can easily declare them to be human or even super-human.
- Motivations of the AI Intelligentsia
The motivations of the AI intelligentsia, consisting of researchers, engineers, and scientists who work in the field of AI, include scientific curiosity, technical challenges, commercial opportunities, social impact, national security, and ethical considerations.
They are thus playing a significant role in shaping the future of humanity by advancing AI technology and developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) systems that have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of daily life for people.
The AI intelligentsia is taking humanity to a new epoch – to an age of intelligent-based systems who will co-exist with humans at home, at work places and at social environments, or who can eventually rule over humans.
It is a new dawn, a brave new world that is about to be revealed, as we redefine the origins and nature of sapiens, taking us to a new stage of human evolution, in which humans will evolve into cybernetically and genetically engineered “Homo-Deus”, as proposed or mentioned by thinkers such as Yuval Noah Harari, Dan Brown, Michio Kaku and Ray Kurzweil.
Ray Kurzweil believes that AGI will surpass human intelligence in a wide range of tasks and could be used to solve problems like curing diseases, terraforming other planets, and overcoming death. Kurzweil’s expected new book, “Singularity is Nearer”, will expand on his previous ideas and predictions of AI.
He has previously stated that he believes computers will be able to pass the Turing test, which measures a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour comparable to or indistinguishable from that of a human, by 2029.
He also predicts that by 2045, AGI will be achieved and will be able to improve itself at an exponential rate, leading to a rapid acceleration of technological progress, and perhaps to the AGI turning into an ASI (Artificial Super Intelligent) system.
Also, Yuval Noah Harari suggests in his book “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” that advanced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) could be a step towards the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). He claims that by directly connecting human brains to computers and other machines, we can improve our cognitive abilities and eventually create AGI systems that match or even exceed human intelligence.
It is critical to remember that AGI is a speculative topic, and the notion that BCIs would be a step toward its development is purely theoretical. There are many different approaches to creating AGI, and the relationship between BCI and AGI is not yet well understood. However, the idea that BCIs could significantly improve human cognitive abilities is intriguing and warrants further investigation.
On the contrary, Martin Ford argues in his book “The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future” that the development of AGI could have an impact on the job market because machines could potentially take over many tasks currently performed by humans.
In particular, he asserts that low-skilled and repetitive jobs will suffer significantly from widespread automation and the rise of AGI. He also suggests that AGI could lead to greater inequality as the people who own and control these technologies will become increasingly wealthy and powerful while a growing number of people may become unemployed and left behind.
He believes society should start preparing for these changes now by investing in education and training programs and enacting new policies to help people adjust to a rapidly changing job market. It is worth noting that this is a speculative topic and that there are many different opinions about the potential impacts of AGI on the job market and the economy as a whole.
Some experts believe that AGI has the potential to create new job opportunities and boost economic growth, while others believe it will lead to job displacement and widen the gap between the rich and the poor.
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to systems that have achieved singularity with humans and as such can comprehend or learn any complex tasks that humans can. AGI systems would be able to carry out a variety of tasks like problem-solving, making decisions, and learning even without being explicitly programmed. Most AI systems in use today fall into the category of weak or limited AI due to their focus on narrow task domains.
A widespread cyberattack targeting Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) server software used by thousands of government agencies and businesses for internal document sharing was likely orchestrated by a single actor, a cybersecurity researcher said on Monday.
Microsoft issued an alert on Saturday warning of “active attacks” on on-premise SharePoint servers.
The company clarified that SharePoint Online, part of the Microsoft 365 cloud suite, was not affected by the exploit, which is considered a “zero-day” vulnerability due to its previously undiscovered nature.
“Based on the consistency of the tradecraft seen across observed attacks, the campaign launched on Friday appears to be a single actor. However, it’s possible that this will quickly change,” Rafe Pilling, director of Threat Intelligence at Sophos, a British cybersecurity firm.
That tradecraft included the sending of the same digital payload to multiple targets, Pilling added.
Microsoft said it had “provided security updates and encourages customers to install them,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
It was not clear who was behind the ongoing hack. The FBI said on Sunday it was aware of the attacks and was working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details.
Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Washington Post said unidentified actors in the past few days had exploited a flaw to launch an attack that targeted U.S. and international agencies and businesses.
According to data from Shodan, a search engine that helps to identify internet-linked equipment, over 8,000 servers online could theoretically have already been compromised by hackers.
Those servers include major industrial firms, banks, auditors, healthcare companies, and several U.S. state-level and international government entities.
“The SharePoint incident appears to have created a broad level of compromise across a range of servers globally,” said Daniel Card of British cybersecurity consultancy, PwnDefend.
“Taking an assumed breach approach is wise, and it’s also important to understand that just applying the patch isn’t all that is required here.”
A Microsoft SharePoint server software flaw is causing widespread concern across the global cybersecurity landscape, exposing thousands of organisations to hackers exploiting a new vulnerability.
This critical vulnerability exposes government agencies, universities, and energy firms who are at risk of cyberattacks. The flaw, now being actively exploited by unidentified hackers, allows attackers to gain deep, remote access to on-premise SharePoint servers.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has confirmed that the vulnerability can enable malicious actors to access internal files, change configurations, and even execute remote code, effectively giving them high-level control over compromised systems.
Microsoft has also acknowledged the breach and released a security patch aimed at stopping the ongoing attacks. The firm urged users to apply the patch immediately, saying it is working to roll out additional protections, according to a statement reported by Bloomberg.
Despite these efforts, cybersecurity researchers warn that systems may remain vulnerable if attackers have already infiltrated networks, stolen authentication keys, or implanted persistent backdoors before patches were applied.
The United States hosts the highest number of these vulnerable systems, followed by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The Washington Post reported that the breach has already impacted a range of institutions, including U.S. federal and state agencies, academic institutions, energy companies, and a telecommunications firm in Asia.
This latest incident adds to a growing list of cybersecurity challenges facing Microsoft. In March, the company revealed that Chinese state-backed hackers had targeted its cloud-based services to infiltrate both U.S. and international organisations.
Last year, the U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board sharply criticised Microsoft’s internal security culture as ‘inadequate’ after a separate breach compromised its Exchange Online mail systems and exposed communications of high-level officials.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that it has reduced incidents of extortion and unofficial charges in the identity enrolment process by over 40 per cent.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC,
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director general of NIMC, who disclosed this at an event in Lagos at the weekend, attributed the drop to improved transparency in fee structure at the commission.
The CEO was represented by Lanre Yusuf, director, Information Technology and Identity Database, NINC.
The workshop, organised by the identity regulator in partnership with the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, focused on repositioning Nigeria’s digital identity landscape and combating misinformation.
According to Coker-Odusote, the sharp reduction in illicit charges is a direct result of reforms introduced by NIMC to curb racketeering and unauthorised payments, which have for years plagued the national identity registration process..
“Enrolment for the National Identification Number remains free. We have standardised modification and authentication fees, and these are publicly disclosed. Our enforcement of a transparent fee structure has resulted in a 40 per cent drop in extortion and unofficial charges,” the regulator said.
She explained that prior to her assumption of office, complaints about exploitative fees at enrolment centres were widespread, fuelling public distrust in the system.
However, she noted that the commission had since prioritised transparency and stakeholder accountability, ensuring that Nigerians no longer have to pay above the legally mandated fees. “We are addressing deep-rooted issues that once undermined public confidence in the enrolment process,” she said.
The NIMC chief added that the commission had introduced digital tools to reduce human interference in the registration process.
These include the NINAuth mobile app, the Self-Service NIN Enrolment and Modification app, and Contactless Biometric Solutions, all designed to make the system more efficient, secure, and user-friendly.
Coker-Odusote also reiterated the commission’s commitment to inclusion, stressing that no Nigerian should be left behind in the country’s digital identity transformation.
According to her, over 7,167 front-end enrolment agents and partners have been revalidated and retrained to serve the public professionally, with strict monitoring mechanisms now in place.
In addition, NIMC has deployed grievance redress officers across all 36 states to handle complaints from Nigerians about enrolment centres and agents, with a 24/7 toll-free line available to report any misconduct.
The reforms are part of broader efforts by the Commission to build a unified, secure, and people-centred digital identity system that facilitates access to government services, financial inclusion, social protection, and national planning.
Coker-Odusote called on media partners to support the Commission in disseminating accurate information, countering misinformation, and raising awareness about the benefits of digital identity.
“We are asking our partners in the media to help us combat fake news and promote transparency in the identity ecosystem. We need to ensure every Nigerian understands their rights and knows that their identity is key to accessing opportunities and services,” she said.
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