Write a a 1,500 word critical essay in which you evaluate a contemporary imaginative work of expression in terms of its thematic connections with either Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. As you develop this essay, consider the following questions:
To what extent is this contemporary work “Promethean?” (Like Aeschylus and Shelley, you may choose to define “Promethean” as you see fit).
To what extent does it express provide fictional treatment to some of the non-fictional, AI-related issues you addressed in your Argumentative/Rebuttal essay?
– For as long as I have been alive artificial intelligence has been a distinctive characteristic of the future. Whether in the news or the entertainment industry, we have been presented with these godlike figures who appear humanoid and are as intelligent or even more intelligent than us. And this is an integral reason why AI is viewed in the way it is. Because of the way it is presented in the media most average consumers who are not involved in the field have a warped view of what the true dangers of AI are. Humanity is not in danger and we are not going to be taken over by our AI overlords. That being said, there are privacy concerns, and personal agendas that need to be taken into account when it comes to the further development of this tool. However, if regulated carefully and used responsibly AI is a Promethean tool that will help with automation which will greatly improve labor productivity and increase efficiency, help solve complex problems in various fields like engineering and medicine, and overall aid in the improvement of our society by guiding everyday tasks.
AI-driven automation can revolutionize labor productivity by streamlining processes, reducing errors, and optimizing resource utilization across industries. In the article, “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Labor Productivity”, the author discusses a study in which 5257 worldwide companies with at least one patent relating to AI between 2000 and 2016 are analyzed to demonstrate that AI patent applications can improve a company’s labor productivity. The passage utilizes an empirical model used to analyze firm productivity which is based on a Cobb-Dougalas framework. To deal with any methodological errors a GMM system was employed. Using the Cobb-Douglas equation the article posits, “. . . if a firm increases its innovative effort in the field of AI and doubles its number of AI patent applications, the predicted increase in labor productivity amounts to 3%. For the full model, companies’ stock of patent applications in technologies other than AI also turns out to be significant (with a lower effect of about 2%), confirming the potential of the AI technology to enhance productivity”(Damioli). This reveals the advantage that artificial intelligence has in terms of increasing output in comparison to labor. The article went on to say that the increase in productivity was seen mainly in the years 2009 to 2016 which goes to show how the advancement of AI in recent years is positively benefiting companies. While it can now be seen that labor productivity itself has improved due to AI, an excerpt from the book “Seminars in Roentgenology”, focuses on the applications that artificial intelligence can have in the field of radiology through process streamlining and workflow optimization. The article states, “A study used neural networks to detect pacemakers on radiographs with 99.67% accuracy . . . Such tools can also have an important and positive impact on the process of scheduling, resulting in greater system efficiency that would be beneficial for patients and the institution’s overall imaging operations, especially for cross-sectional imaging modalities such as MRI and CT”(Pierre). The use of these tools not only keeps the patients safe but also reduces the work that needs to be done by the doctor so the patient can receive treatment quicker and the doctor can move on to other patients faster. This is one way in which AI could streamline the workflow process and at the same time reduce errors due to the high accuracy rate. The same article also talks about the importance of having an organized log of diagnostic imaging scans to see which patients require urgent care. A solution to this is to use AI to better organize the log which according to the article could be efficient as, “. . . a study examining a commercially available system demonstrated a significant reduction in report turnaround times for chest radiographs with critical findings”(Pierre). The potential use of this technology can help a lot with workflow optimization as it doesn’t require the doctors to have to analyze the long list of diagnostics. Overall it is clear that AI plays a large role in improving the workflow and streamlining processes which leads to an increase in efficiency and productivity that helps countless people and has applications in many fields.
In specialized domains such as engineering and medicine, AI offers invaluable capabilities for tackling complex challenges, ranging from optimizing designs to diagnosing diseases and developing personalized treatments. An excerpt from the book, “Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy”, talks about the potential ways in which AI can help transform oncologic care for patients. It is stated that “Radiomics and AI have the potential to provide novel image-based biomarkers. In oncology, one set of such tasks is noninvasive AI-assisted analysis of radiologic images to predict tumor characteristics that typically require histopathologic or more advanced molecular analysis of resected tissue specimens. AI algorithms can analyze radiomic features that may not be readily discernible to the human eye”(Pierre). The use of this new technology could help the patient receive better care due to more accurate readings that may not even be possible with the naked eye. Furthermore, a study stated that, “. . . a deep learning model, using current and previous CT volumes, outperformed radiologists in lung cancer prediction with a reduction in both false positives and negatives”(Pierre). This implies that the whole process of diagnosing can be completely optimized to prevent human error and give the patient the proper treatment. Artificial intelligence can also be useful in the field of engineering and its applications in the field of structural engineering are analyzed in an excerpt from the book, “Engineering Structures”. A helpful tool for structural engineering is pattern recognition (PR) which is a branch of AI. PR generally works by classifying objects into several categories. It is used a lot in civil and structural engineering. For example, “Kiremidjian et al., used autoregressive models for SHM of bridge structures. They demonstrated that damage detection algorithms based on PR methods can effectively detect structural damage. Gul et al. and Yao et al. utilized autoregressive models with a Mahalanobis distance-based outlier detection algorithm for damage detection in civil structures. These studies showed the superior performance of the proposed algorithms in terms of identifying damage with high-dimensional data sets”(Salehi). The use of PR helped to solve complex problems and yield better results due to the AI having a higher capacity for high-dimensional sets which are much harder to compute for humans. The application of these AI models to damage detection helps to make the buildings safer for the tenets and easier for the engineers to build. These examples of artificial intelligence already being used today demonstrate the efficiency of the tool at solving complex problems and assisting professionals in their field to perform their jobs better and in turn help people have a better day-to-day experience.
The integration of AI into daily activities holds promise for enhancing efficiency and safety, empowering individuals to live safer and more productive lives and corporations to improve the livelihoods of their employees. Some examples of artificial intelligence being used in everyday life are provided in the article, “How Artificial Intelligence is Impacting Real Life Everyday”. One use of AI is in self-driving cars, “For instance, making a car move itself and around corners is difficult. The technology that enables the same car to navigate crossroads and avoid colliding with other vehicles is seriously advanced . . . AI as the technology behind self-driving cars has improved peoples’ everyday lives in several ways. Through self-driving, the number of accidents occurring has substantially reduced”(Poola). This application of AI has a large impact on everyone as most people own a car and drive almost every day. By eliminating the risks of accidents AI through self-driving cars has the potential to greatly improve safety once perfected. Another way that AI is eliminating risks to people is by eliminating dangerous jobs. The article states, “. . . with the development of robots, diffusing bombs have become easy since the robots can do it with ease with nothing to fear. As a result, robots have significantly assisted in saving thousands of lives in taking over the most dangerous job in the whole world today”(Abdalla et al. 2016). Looking specifically in the case of bomb diffusing the AI robots can largely eliminate the job which allows for people not to have to risk their lives. On a more everyday scale, “Through the application of GPS during the long drives and trips . . . [Due to AI] there has been the minimal occurrence of errors especially when typing since the computers can predict what we are going to write and make corrections to wrongly typed words . . . Additionally, whenever people are uploading pictures on social sites, the AI algorithm identifies the person and tags them”(Smith & Eckroth 2017). The usage of AI in our everyday lives is constant yet undetected. The applications are everywhere and in everything we do. The usage of AI in our everyday lives helps us not only be more productive but also better prepared for our day. Artificial intelligence can also play a role in the classroom helping both students and teachers in their everyday lives. The news article “Artificial Intelligence Transforming the Lives of Teachers and Students”, by Angeral Stirm-McLaughlin discusses some of the uses in the classroom. Ann Thomas, an information technology consultant with Central Rivers Area Education Agency states, “Educators use AI for lesson planning, including identifying resources to enrich the classroom experience. AI enables teachers to access materials to fill in learning gaps for students requiring extra assistance to provide an equitable lesson to all students. High-achieving students benefit because supplementary projects are developed quicker by accessing add-ons identified by using AI”(Stirm-McLaughlin). The use of this technology is extremely beneficial for students as it adapts due to the student’s personal needs. This helps both the teacher and the student to be more productive as they are not wasting time on lessons that don’t work. This highly adaptable environment is also great because it encourages the student to try hard in school which leads to forming a productive member of society. Overall the use of AI in everyday life is nothing but good and helps people lead more productive and safe lives.
Despite the myriad of benefits of AI, there is one glaring problem which happens to be privacy. With AI becoming mainstream it is important to acknowledge the real issue of artificial intelligence invading privacy. Yaou Hu in her journal, “The Dark Side of Artificial Intelligence in service: The “Watching-eye” Effect and Privacy Concerns”, expresses some of these concerns from three points of view. Concerns about the built-in “camera-eye” occur, “. . . because data captured by these cameras might be used without customers’ knowledge and can be susceptible to hacking, the mere display of cameras may arouse privacy concerns”(Hu). Also due to the boundary condition of service setting, “. . . customers’ behavioral information becomes more personal and sensitive in relatively private service settings such as hotel rooms or private restaurant rooms. In such places, AI devices equipped with cameras or simply “listening” features can make people uncomfortable due to privacy concerns”(Hu). People are uneasy for many reasons due to the adaptive and applicable nature of AI. Because it is a relatively new technology with many applications there is a sense of panic about the true abilities that it will have. However, the only way to deal with this issue is to address it which is exactly what Info-Tech Research Group is working on. The PR Newswire article, “Privacy in the Age of AI: Insights on Implementing Ethical Practices”, discusses a plan for privacy impact assessments (PIAs). Their plan includes, “A threshold analysis can be used to identify systems processing information about specific data subject groups, industries, or types of data processing, which may pose higher risks . . . Clearly document how the system processes personal data, whether consent is required and obtained properly, internal and external data flows, and individual rights . . . Identify privacy risks, analyze their impact on the organization and individuals, and develop specific action plans to mitigate these risks effectively”(Info-Tech Research Group). The framework ensures an easy-to-follow method that ensures responsible AI use. The fact that people are already putting in place sanctions that will help to prevent any privacy violations shows that everyone is taking this risk seriously. Just like with all new things it will take time to warm up to AI however with a plan to prevent the ongoing concerns, there is no need to blow the problem out of proportion.
In conclusion, artificial intelligence presents tremendous opportunities and certain challenges for society. While the media often portrays AI as something to fear, the reality is that when regulated carefully and used responsibly, AI can be a powerful tool for improving efficiency, solving complex problems, and enhancing everyday tasks. The integration of AI into various industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, and education, has already shown significant benefits in terms of productivity, safety, and adaptability and overall is an innovative technology that will play a huge role in the betterment of our society for years to come.
And, finally, more broadly, to what extent does this contemporary work of imaginative expression display mythic qualities?
You may select any of the following imaginative kinds of imaginative works:
Films
Television shows
Fictional stories (novels, short stories, comic books)
Video and computer games
Role-playing games
Board games
Popular and Classical music
Advertising
Or other imaginative forms of expression
Research
You do not need to include as many sources as you did for the critical essay; however, you do need to cite and quote from the following:
The imaginative work you selected
Either Frankenstein or Prometheus Bound — or both
Online reviews from news organizations, social media posts, YouTube videos, or podcasts
