Have you ever asked Alexa a question? Or used GPS to find your way? If so, then you’ve used artificial intelligence (AI). That’s the ability of machines to perform tasks that usually require a human’s ability to think or learn.
The powers of AI are growing—and so is its reach. More than 100 million people worldwide now use ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, to answer complicated questions, code websites, and even write poetry. And about 500 million people regularly interact with Siri, an AI voice assistant.
In this cartoon, AI is represented by a robot. Two scientists are about to plug the robot into the wall. They are talking about what will happen if humans can no longer control the machine. One of the scientists has an idea for how that problem will be solved. His statement is an example of irony—when words or images convey the opposite of what you’d expect. The cartoonist wants you to consider this: If AI gets too advanced, will it still help humans?
Study the cartoon, then answer the questions.
1. How does the robot look? What two adjectives would best describe it?
2. Why might the cartoonist have made the robot so much larger than the scientists?
3. How would you sum up the cartoon’s message? Do you agree? Why or why not?