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Artificial intelligence:
seizing opportunities and recognizing risks
Rapid development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming our professional and personal lives.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of what AI is, how it works, where it can be effectively applied, and how you can protect yourself from potential misuse.
Key points:
AI enables technical systems to perform tasks that require human abilities such as thinking, learning, or language.
It is already being used in many areas – from voice assistants to medicine and cybersecurity.
At the same time, AI also poses risks such as manipulation through deepfakes or data privacy issues, making responsible use essential.
What is Artifical Intelligence?
AI refers to technologies that mimic human abilities such as perception, learning, planning, language, or creativity. Modern AI applications often rely on artificial neural networks that recognize patterns in large datasets, analyse them, and independently derive decisions or suggestions from them.
What is generative AI?
Generative AI – such as ChatGPT, Midjourney, or Gemini – creates new content based on patterns from existing data. These applications can write texts, design images, compose music, or even generate program code.
They often work with so-called Large Language Models (LLMs). These applications are capable of deep learning and are designed to understand and generate human language, for example, to generate outputs in response to user’s prompt. They are trained with large amounts of text and other data.
Definitions related to AI
In the field of AI, many new technical terms appear that may seem complex at first glance. The following definitions can help you to better understand and categorize key terms:
Neural network:
a structured algorithm that, similar to the human brain, links information and recognizes patterns from it
Deep learning:
a specialized form of machine learning that uses particularly deep networks to independently solve complex tasks
Prompt:
a natural language text input that users use to instruct a generative AI to create content, such as texts, images, or code
Multimodal AI:
systems that can understand and process different input formats such as text, image, sound, or video simultaneously
Voice changer:
a digital tool that alters voices to sound like those of another person – often used in conjunction with deepfakes
Prompt injection:
a targeted manipulation of AI inputs to lead the system to undesirable or even dangerous outputs
Typical applications of AI
AI is no longer a topic of the future – it is already part of our daily lives in various personal and professional areas. AI technologies help automate processes, make better decisions, and unlock new possibilities. The following examples show how versatile AI is today:
- Voice assistants and smart home: recognizes speech and responds to commands, controls lights, music, or devices
- Recommendation systems: for personalized suggestions in streaming services and online shops
- Industry and logistics: automation and optimization of manufacturing, maintenance, and supply chains
- Medicine and health: support in diagnostics, therapy development, and patient monitoring
- Transportation and mobility: foundation for autonomous vehicles
- Cybersecurity: detection and defence against threats in real-time
- Agriculture: precision irrigation and automated harvesting processes
Advantages of artificial intelligence
The targeted use of AI brings numerous benefits – both for companies and individuals. The potential can be seen in the following areas:
- Efficiency increases: processes can be automated, saving time and resources.
- Scalability: large amounts of data are processed quickly, enabling flexible real-time responses.
- Innovation: AI opens new avenues for the development of modern products, services, and business models.
- Personalization: users receive tailored recommendations and content based on their individual preferences.
Risks and challenges
As much potential as AI offers, its use also brings several risks and open questions. Those who want to use Artificial Intelligence responsibly should address these aspects early. The key challenges include:
- Data privacy: if personal data is processed unlawfully or used in an uncontrolled way, it can lead to violations of applicable data protection laws.
- Incorrect decisions: AI systems trained with insufficient or faulty data may deliver incorrect or biased results.
- Manipulation: deepfakes and similar technologies enable deceptively realistic forgeries of voices, images, or videos, posing significant damage potential.
- Dependence: relying too heavily on AI without understanding how it works risks losing control over decisions and processes.
- Legal uncertainty: the legal framework around copyright, liability, and transparency in AI use is still developing and can cause uncertainties.
Current threats from criminal AI use
With technological progress, the potential for misuse of AI also grows. Cybercriminals increasingly use AI to make attacks more sophisticated, faster, and harder to detect. The dangers are diverse and often difficult to understand:
Deepfakes:
AI can generate deceptively realistic voices, texts, images, and videos, for example, to impersonate a known person or spread false statements.
Spear-Phishing:
Using text generators, attackers create individually tailored messages that appear particularly credible and aim to elicit sensitive information.
AI-supported chatbots:
These bots conduct realistic conversations via email or messenger to build trust and manipulate targets.
Automated attacks:
AI can analyse publicly available information, identify vulnerabilities, and independently develop and execute attack scenarios with minimal human effort.
Safety and protection in dealing with AI
As AI becomes more widespread, a conscious and secure approach becomes increasingly important. To protect yourself and your data from misuse, deception, or unwanted data leakage, it is advisable to follow some basic security measures:
Avoid unknown AI tools for sensitive data:
Do not enter confidential data and information into a publicly accessible AI application, especially if it is unclear where the data is stored or further processed and whether the information you provide could also be displayed to other users.
Be vigilant against deepfakes and fake content:
AI-generated voices, images, or messages can appear deceptively real. Question unusual requests and demands, even if they seem to come from known contacts.
Conclusion: dealing with AI
AI holds enormous potential – whether in everyday life, business, or research. At the same time, clear rules, responsible use, and protective measures are necessary to minimize risks. Stay informed about current developments and remain critical when dealing with new technologies.
Frequently Asked Questions about AI
Show content of What exactly is AI?
The term AI refers to systems or programs that perform tasks that normally require human intelligence – such as understanding language, recognizing images, or making decisions.
Show content of What dangers does AI pose in everyday life?
The biggest threats include manipulated content and deepfakes, targeted phishing attacks through AI-generated messages, and automated cyberattacks. Uncontrolled data processing or incorrect decisions by poorly trained or manipulated models can also be problematic.
Show content of How can I use Artificial Intelligence safely?
- Do not enter sensitive or confidential data and information into publicly accessible AI applications.
- Avoid entering personal data, passwords, bank details, or other security-relevant information. Be especially cautious if it is unclear where and how your data is stored, processed, or shared.
- Always check the provider's privacy policies and terms of use. Pay attention to whether the information you enter could also be displayed to other users or used for training purposes.
- Additionally, activate available security and privacy options in the application's settings.