While embracing the numerous beneficial effects and advantages that the newest technological advancements can have on the way we work, play, and live, we must always be aware of potential drawbacks and potential misuse of the technology.

Swarms of drones

The armed forces of the United States, China, and the United Kingdom are experimenting with the potential use of networked, collaborative drones in combat. Drone swarms, which are modelled after a group of cooperative insects, have the potential to completely alter how future battles are fought, whether by overwhelming enemy sensors with their sheer numbers or by efficiently covering a broad area during search-and-rescue operations. Swarms could organise themselves based on the situation and through interactions with one another to achieve a goal, which makes them different from how drones are currently deployed by the military. A swarm that is intelligent enough to plan its own behaviour is becoming a reality even if this technology is still in the experimental stage.

The idea of machines with guns to kill being able to 'think' for themselves is the stuff of nightmares, notwithstanding the positive aspects of drone swarms to reduce losses, at least for the offence, and more effectively accomplish a search-and-rescue purpose. Despite the risks, there doesn't seem to be much doubt that swarm military technology will eventually be used in future battles.

Devices for monitoring smart homes

In order for smart home appliances to respond to requests and be as helpful as possible, they must be listening to you and keeping track of your typical habits.The moment you installed the Echo in your room as a radio and alarm clock (or any other Internet-connected smart device), you also gave a spy access to your house. 

Cloud storage is used to store all the data that smart devices gather about your routines, such your Netflix viewing history, your location and the route you frequently take home so that Google can advise you on how to avoid traffic, and the time you usually get home so that your smart thermostat can set the temperature of your family room to your preference. You can live a more convenient life with this information, but there is also a risk that it will be misused.

Identification by Face

Although facial recognition has some incredibly beneficial uses, it can also be employed for evil intent. Face recognition technology is allegedly used by China for racial profiling and monitoring. 

The cameras in China not only catch jaywalkers but also keep an eye on and manage the Uighur Muslims who reside there. In addition to accusations that Israel follows Palestinians inside the West Bank, Russia's cameras reportedly scour the streets for 'persons of interest.' 

Facial recognition suffers from bias and can track people without their knowledge. It is less accurate and more likely to misidentify people when an algorithm is developed using a dataset that isn't varied.

Cloning using artificial intelligence

With the aid of artificial intelligence (AI), a brief audio clip is all that is required to duplicate someone's voice. Similar to this, AI may create a cloned video by taking multiple images or videos of a person and then editing them together to make it look like the original. 

Our brains are finding it difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is fake because it has become fairly simple for AI to generate an artificial YOU. Deepfake technology that imitates actual people by using face mapping, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to create representations of them acting and saying things they never would is now aimed at 'ordinary' people.

Celebrities used to be more vulnerable to deepfake technology because there was a lot of video and audio available of them to utilise in the algorithms' training. However, technology has improved to the point that it no longer needs as much raw data to produce a convincing fake video, plus there are a lot more photographs and videos of common people from the internet and social media channels to exploit.

Blackmailing and hacking using AI, bots, and ransomware

When powerful technology ends up in the wrong hands, it can be used very effectively to carry out illegal, dishonest, and malevolent operations.The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency reports that ransomware is on the rise, which is when virus is used to block access to a computer system until a ransom is paid (CISA). To complete activities more quickly, artificial intelligence can automate them. 

The negative effect might be spectacular when certain duties, like spear phishing, involve sending out phoney emails to coerce people into disclosing their personal information. Once the software is created, it costs close to nothing to start doing it again. Blackmailing people or breaking into systems is a rapid and effective task for AI. However important AI is in the fight against malware and other dangers, hackers are also using it to carry out their illegal activities.