“Siri, what’s the weather like in Los Angeles?”

“Here’s the forecast for today,” your iPhone responds, displaying on your screen the expected temperatures for the upcoming twelve hours. This apparently simple convenience is accessible 24 hours a day with a click of the home button, allowing iPhone users to perform tasks by instructing their virtual assistant, Siri. But Siri, a feature that is still being refined to more accurately mimic human speech and interpret user data, is the product of years of research and a key example of artificial intelligence.

One of the most notable achievements in science is the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This endeavor, which began in 1956 but has made huge strides within recent years, involves programming computer systems to perform functions that would typically require human intelligence. This is a rather controversial field of research that has accumulated a considerable number of skeptics, due in part to ethical qualms. Despite criticism, artificial intelligence has the potential to become the foundation of scientific excellence in this century and propel technology to new heights.

Virtual assistants will soon integrate themselves into the mainstream of our culture. At least one already has: Siri, the intelligent assistant that accompanies up-to-date iPhones and provides services ranging from scheduling appointments to conversing (almost) normally. This is all thanks to Siri’s artificial intelligence, which allows it to interpret user data and respond accordingly. Speech recognition enables Siri to identify colloquialisms, disregard background noise and provide relevant responses. As handy as this already is, it’s going to develop further from here. Advancements in AI are rapidly increasing the productivity of virtual assistants such as Siri, as well as bringing this type of speech recognition into the public eye.

“I definitely think [AI] will be more commonplace and that it will be very useful in the future,” junior Alok Elashoff said. Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life, although it is not always recognized as such.

For example, a new version of the traditional Barbie toy is underway, called Hello Barbie. This doll interprets speech from users and selects an appropriate response from the thousands of options in its database; in essence, it speaks to you. These kinds of toys and tools are going to become a staple in everyday life, changing the public perception of AI from a distant and perplexing scientific theory to a tool that they interact with on a near-daily basis.

But what does this movement have in store for us? Innovation always comes with unexpected consequences and ethical dilemmas, especially in this field. Some scientists are concerned with the emulation of human intelligence and the rapid advancement of AI. If AI becomes advanced enough, it could lead to the creation of something known as superintelligence, which is significantly more effective than human brains.

This raises the question: could superintelligence be the last technology ever developed by humans? Since superintelligence is so vastly superior, it would far outstrip the capacity of the human mind, discovering new technology and curing diseases faster than humans ever could. Initially, this comes across as a positive thing, but perhaps this will render human intellect useless. This is called the singularity theory—a theory that superintelligence will continue to design and create increasingly intelligent machines, eventually resulting in an exponential growth of intelligence until human minds are unable to fathom it. A study published in 2012 by Stuart Armstrong and Kaj Sotala predicted that the singularity would be reached as early as the year 2040.

While this technological singularity seems preposterous to many, some are fearful. Artificial intelligence could “spell the end of the human race,” physicist Stephen Hawking said to BBC. Others, such as philosopher Nick Bostrom, who has done extensive research on AI, believe that it would create a kind of utopian society, with superintelligence devising ways to end poverty, illness and other pressing matters.

These are not entirely negative consequences. Advanced artificial intelligence and its potential consequences have simply not been recognized as normal yet. However, as it becomes more widespread and effective, AI is going to change the world as we know it.