AI technology and priorities
By Dr. Selim Erhan, TLT Editor | TLT From the Editor April 2025
Handling and using power go hand in hand with precautions.
Artificial intelligence (AI) or faster, more powerful computer programs are becoming rapidly more accessible. It brings tremendous advantages in a lot of areas. For example, it is amazing how fast GPS technology can calculate new routes and travel times. We see the more powerful computer technology being used in research, which saves us a lot of time and brings areas that were once out of reach to our use. I have seen a few in the last years—for example, in rubber and tire research, chemists can bring an experimental design of 100 trials down to five and save enormous time in the lab. In drilling, computers can collect pressure and temperature data continuously to adjust the optimum pressure on the drill bit. If the drill bit does not get enough force, it takes much longer to drill. If too much force is applied the drill line may buckle. AI can optimize the drill pressure by continuously monitoring the input from the various sensors. We are reading about tribological advances as we start collecting information which was not accessible before. Faster computers and more powerful programs are opening us to new worlds.
There are a lot of concerns and thoughts on what might be detrimental about computers that keep learning and adjusting without our input. This is a concern, but I believe it is in our power to apply safety measures. Handling and using power go hand in hand with precautions. Obviously AI technology should not be used to break into people’s bank accounts, nor should it be used to manipulate faces and images to make it appear they are saying things that they never did. It is not the technologies’ fault but the fault of the people who are or will be engaged in illegal activities. We all need to plan what to do with these cases before it happens to us. We don’t buy a car without first making sure we have a place for it, or we do not buy a refrigerator without first making sure we can get it into the house. We need to use AI technology, so we must prepare. Luckily we live in a democracy so our votes count, and we can create a safe environment.
We need to be mindful about the new changes and make room in our lives to accommodate new technology so we can save time. At work we need to spend time looking into how this new power can be used, and learn about it so we can apply it when there is an opportunity. At home we can look into energy saving tools, communication tools and save time so we can spend more time on our more important activities because there is one thing we cannot change, and that is the 24 hours we have in a day.
I think a great start is to make sure we keep our priorities in focus. I always remember the example of a professor bringing four identical jars into a classroom. The first was empty, the second filled with big stones, the third with pebbles and the fourth with sand. He asked if the contents of the three full jars could all fit into the one empty jar. Then he demonstrated that it could be done if it is carefully planned, so the large stones were put in first then the pebbles were allowed to settle into the empty spaces. Lastly the sand was poured, and the jar shaken so the sand settled into the empty spaces. We frequently pour in the sand first in our daily lives at home or at work.
We cannot change the nature of the stones, nor can we change our nature. It does not matter what letter in the alphabet is used to categorize different generations—we still need to eat, sleep, rest, exercise and move our body so all our systems work in harmony. Babies and children need their parents, couples need each other and families need to be connected. Safety nets have to be put in place. We need human interactions to have healthy psychology. We also need to do useful things. This is tied to our happiness, satisfaction and ultimately our good health. It is important for our private lives and for our work environment. These needs are the bigger priorities. Once these are set, I think AI technology will be like the sand that fills the empty voids. Then we can calculate the optimum tire formulation and best drilling conditions or whatever we are doing to improve our world.
Dr. Selim Erhan is director of business development for Process Oils Inc. in Trout Valley, Ill. You can reach him at serhan@processoilsinc.com.