Will AI Replace Humans and Should We Be Afraid of It?

We live in a world where not only humans are entering the labor market. Machines, robots, and mechanisms are at work. Artificial intelligence performs tasks across all sectors — from everyday life to industry. Elon Musk recently stated that AI will surpass any human in all areas within less than two years, and in about five years, it will become smarter than all humans combined.

On one hand, this definitely simplifies life and saves time; on the other hand, it can make us prisoners of digital intelligence.

About 90 years ago, the first televisions appeared; in the 2000s, the era of smartphones began to develop, and today, AI lives in every sphere. A simple example that every internet user encounters: going to Google, typing a query, and the first result is often “an AI-generated overview.” It analyzes information from websites and provides a brief summary. Convenient? Yes. Time-saving? Certainly. But is it useful in the long run? That’s the question.

People have always adapted to new technologies — from written language, which Socrates criticized, to the internet and social networks. Digital intelligence is another tool that also raises debates about its impact on human cognitive abilities.

“There are three components that have come together — good mathematics, high computing power, and data accumulation. When these three elements combine, AI ‘takes off,’” said Viktor Kochin, Candidate of Technical Sciences and expert in AI.

AI can write and edit texts for you, create images, and generate ideas. Despite tendencies toward “hallucinations” (when AI invents data and makes errors), it continues to be used more actively. Additionally, the internet is filled with new “specialists” who teach AI-related skills through courses.

Regarding the labor market, according to UN data, by 2033, AI could displace about 40% of jobs.

Drones, delivery robots, vacuum cleaners, voice assistants, autonomous transport at enterprises, automation programs in finance, self-service checkouts, and chatbots online — today, all of these are human assistants.

“Artificial intelligence is created by humans. It helps implement certain functions that are most accessible and can be performed by computers,” noted Sergey Kruglikov, General Director of the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

“No AI can replace those aspects connected to the deeper layers of the psyche. AI is speed and memory; it cannot replace the human element, the soul,” said Andrei Korol, Rector of BSU.

To truly assess the impact, at least one generation must grow up in constant interaction with neural networks. Are we ready for a world where smart machines are not only with us but among us? Let each person answer for themselves.