What Is Weak AI?

Weak artificial intelligence (AI)—also called narrow AI—is limited to a specific or narrow area. It can help society by automating laborious chores and doing data analysis in ways that people aren’t always able to do. Strong AI, a hypothetical kind of computer intelligence equivalent to human intellect, may be contrasted with weak AI.

Understanding Weak AI

While weak AI may sometimes be able to mimic human awareness, it does not possess it. The Chinese room thought experiment by John Searle is a famous example of weak AI.

Pennsylvania University’s Carey School of Law, “The Chinese Room Argument,” was reached on January 1, 2022.

According to this experiment, someone inside a room receiving instructions on how to reply to discussions in Chinese may be able to conduct what seems to be a Chinese conversation with someone outside the room.

The subjects of this experiment would speak Chinese while they were in the room. With the instructions being supplied, they could utter or comprehend a single word in Chinese. Not because they can speak Chinese but rather because they are adept at obeying directions. Although they only have weak AI, they may give the impression of having high AI—machine intelligence on par with human intellect.

Specific intelligence is what narrow or weak AI systems possess, rather than universal intelligence. An AI that can easily navigate you from point A to point B will typically not take you to a chess match. Similarly, an AI system that can pretend to converse in Chinese with you is probably unable to mop your floors.

Usage Cases of Weak AI

Weak AI uses patterns and prediction to transform massive amounts of data into useful information. The newsfeed on Meta (previously Facebook), Amazon’s recommended purchases, and Apple’s Siri—the iPhone feature that responds to users’ spoken questions—are some rudimentary examples of artificial intelligence.

Another example of poor AI is email spam filters, which utilize an algorithm to determine which messages will likely be spam and then move them from the inbox to the spam folder.

The Drawbacks of Poor AI

Weak AI has several issues, not the least of which is the potential for damage in the event of a system failure. Take an autonomous vehicle that makes a fatal calculation about the position of an approaching car, for instance. If someone intentionally exploits the system to hurt others, like a terrorist using a self-driving car to plant explosives in a busy place, the technology may likewise inflict damage.

Another problem associated with subpar AI is the loss of jobs brought about by increased task automation. Will there be a sharp increase in unemployment, or will society find new means of enabling people to make a living? While it may be frightening to think that a significant portion of the workforce might lose their employment, proponents of AI argue that as the technology is used more widely, it is also realistic to anticipate that, if this happens, new occupations that we are not yet able to foresee may arise.

Conclusion

• A kind of artificial intelligence restricted to a particular or small field is weak artificial intelligence (AI), also known as narrow AI.
• Strong AI, a hypothetical kind of computer intelligence equivalent to human intellect, may be contrasted with weak AI.
• While weak AI may sometimes be able to mimic human awareness, it does not possess it.