Human evolution has been an accident of sorts. The accidental invention of fire and agriculture contributed to the gargantuan advancement of the human race over eons. But fast forward to the post-Christ era, we see an initiative, an urge, to improve human life. It is this urge to tame the forces of nature and control the unknown that drove human innovation and ingenuity to make new strides, technology is one such initiative.

The history of technological evolution has been a story of giant leaps. The invention of the steam engine and Gatling gun marked momentous occasions of human technological growth.

But one invention that has altered the very course of human imagination is AI or Artificial Intelligence. Invented by the computer scientists John McCarthy & Alan Turing in the 1950s, it was in its embryonic form at that time. But the craze for AI began only in the 2020s. The invention of ChatGPT by OpenAI in 2022 catapulted AI into the limelight. Great powers have, since then, invested significantly to enhance their computational capacities and have been trying to develop strong artificial neural networks to develop more intelligent technological life forms.

But the unveiling of OpenAI’s GPT-4o and the Project Astra of Alphabet Inc. has brought about revolutionary changes in the field of AI.

Step closer to AGI

Project Astra and GPT-4 are advanced AI applications that are able to respond to a plethora of human emotions and reply accordingly in seconds. Unlike earlier models, which could only calculate, create texts, and write poems and essays, this new model is far ahead of its predecessors in that it is able to exhibit anthropomorphic emotions. GPT-4 has shown to respond, in clinical trials, the ability to respond to human instructions, in split seconds.

The invention of ChatGPT by OpenAI in 2022 catapulted AI into the limelight. However, the unveiling of OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Project Astra of Alphabet Inc. has brought about revolutionary changes in AI

The display of a multitude of balanced emotional responses by GPT-4o demonstrates the humanisation of technology. It has broken new ground in taking a step closer to AGI. Artificial General Intelligence is the ability of advanced AI applications to display cognitive faculties akin to, or advanced in comparison to human beings. While AI does most of the tasks on its own accord, AGI is the level wherein AI technology has become truly autonomous. It doesn’t require human intervention to make computational changes. In light of that, AGI represents a domain of very advanced computational capacities. According to the leading psycholinguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, AI reaching the level of AGI demonstrates that the computational theory of the mind on which it runs has become far more advanced than at any other point in history.

Pitfalls of AGI

While the prospect of AGI sounds very promising, it is not without its pitfalls. When an AI application reaches AGI, it is said to reach the level of superintelligence. Nick Bostrom in his book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies has highlighted how AGI ascent signifies a moment where machines truly demonstrate autonomy in terms of perceiving and doing tasks. This may trigger the danger of AI turning rogue, but the prospect of this happening is still quite remote.

Unlike the James Cameron-directed Terminator films which show the quintessential AI antagonist Skynet launching nuclear attacks on its creator, the prospect of this happening to the present version of AI is negligible, given how technology is and will remain dependent on human intervention. But one area, which is still very concerning, is the nature of the job market; AGI means the high computational capacity of the application, which means less requirement of human labour and technical expertise. The march towards AGI while novel and essential threatens to have a debilitating impact on the job market, especially mid-level jobs across countries.

More intervention of AI, especially AGI, may lead to an increasing number of jobless people who do not possess the requisite skills to match the new tech-savvy content of the job, this may trigger an employment crisis not only in the advanced industrialised countries of the West but also in the East, especially in India where technology, especially AI, is being harnessed in a massive way as a part of the good governance initiatives. The impact of AI in the field of education is already well known, hence there is a concerted need to shield the rest of the job market, especially less technically demanding jobs, from the hydra called AGI.

The prospect of AGI sounds very promising, but it has its pitfalls as it may lead to an increasing number of jobless people who do not possess the requisite skills to match the new tech-savvy content of the job, which may trigger an employment crisis

Amidst this revolutionary change, it becomes pertinent to ponder where does India figure in all this? India is undoubtedly a technological superpower which is embracing AI with a strong degree of responsibility. However, New Delhi is aware of the dangers of advanced AI, hence the New Delhi Declaration on the responsible use of AI in the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence summit hosted by India last year pledged to use AI responsibly.

The government has already launched the Rs 10,000 crore National AI mission to enhance the computational capacity of neural networks in India to 10,000 GPU followed by governmental help to the private sector has demonstrated that India is quite serious about playing catch-up to the other great powers in the AI race, but what is of pivotal importance is that safety of AI is of utmost importance.

India’s AI stride 

As the competition for AI is heating up, India finds itself in an advantageous position. Having taken the lead in promoting AI safety, India is collaborating with allies to enhance the coverage of its AI outreach. Agreements on AI and its integration in the field of defence were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last year, further, India’s minister of electronics Rajeev Chandrashekhar has indicated that while the safety of AI will be of paramount importance, India will not shy away from incorporating AI fully in its electronic database.

India has pioneered the concept of collaborative AI that prioritises an overarching inclusive approach to promote the sustainable use of AI for ethical purposes.

The Indian government should consider actively fostering an ecosystem that can make innovative suggestions on integrating AI for military applications as far as the maintenance of the security of our borders is concerned

AI in the field of military

While the Indian armed forces have so far not integrated AI into the defence technological ecosystem, the use of the AI platform Lavendar to kill terrorists in the Israel-Hamas war by the IDF or the Israeli Defence Forces represents a new opportunity for India to utilise AI for neutralising terrorists. While the UN expressed concern for the use of AI in warfare, the realist school of thought argues that it is only a matter of time before AI is used in a full-scale mode in electronic warfare.

Perhaps, the Indian government should consider actively fostering an ecosystem that can make innovative suggestions on integrating AI for military applications as far as the maintenance of the security of our borders is concerned.

–The writer is currently working as a Research Associate at Defence Research and Studies (dras.in) and is a columnist. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda