Karachi: Experts urged industry and academia to adopt the modern and latest tools and solutions of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance research, development, and productivity in every field, including business and academia. Speaking at the seminar “Emerging Trends in Social Science Studies” organized by the University of Karachi, AI expert Adnan Zaidi said the field of artificial intelligence will continue to explore new domains to assist human efforts in achieving productivity with maximum accuracy and efficiency in a short span of time; hence, utilizing it will give a competitive edge to its users on a long-term basis, whether it is industry or media. For instance, he said, an AI tool could read hundreds of newspapers and inform its users about the category of news in a few seconds, as compared to a researcher who does a few years to accomplish the same task. He mentioned that AI tools and solutions are replacing the human workforce in different areas, even industries; hence, the role of human talent will shift to creative tasks like critical thinking, strategic planning, and decision-making, and mechanical work will be dedicated to machines run by the AI. AI is an evolving field, having achieved its 30% potential by now. Its strength will be explored up to 70% by globally renowned companies till 2030, says Dr. Adnan Zaidi, CEO of Proxima AI. Another AI expert, Dr. Umair Arif, said AI will replace various jobs and trades inevitably in the future, but at the same time, it will provide opportunities for human beings to switch their roles by acquiring more productive and facilitative roles. There are a number of professions that are likely to be irrelevant, but a number of new ones will emerge in the next few years. People should not be afraid of AI, but they should learn to use it effectively, he remarked. He mentioned that industries in Pakistan are slowly adopting AI solutions, but the majority of them are reluctant to acquire this new technology in their businesses because of their investment in technology. The utilization of technology will give a company a company a competitive edge over its competitors worldwide, said Dr. Umair Arif, AI consultant at Hexalyze. On the occasion, Dr. Fauzia Naz, while chairing a session on AI integration in the media, said AI poses a great challenge to academics when it comes to the assessment of research and learning, as students and scholars are easily using AI tools like ChatGPT to complete their assignments. We are now transforming our way of assessment by focusing on the analytical and learning strengths of students through the skills of viva, presentation, discussion, and communication, she added.