Artificial intelligence (AI) is not coming, it’s already here and, for better or worse, has become an essential part of our lives, says one of the world’s leading AI experts, a U.S. academic. said Professor Toby Walsh, lead AI scientist. University of New South Wales, Sydney.
The professor, who has written several books on the impact of AI, explains that this technology is already being used in our daily lives and influencing the choices we make. For example, online shopping apps influence what we buy. When we apply for a job, AI has a say in whether we are shortlisted for the job and even how we vote.
You may feel anxious. But he also sees the positive side.
“Without AI, medical technology wouldn’t be as advanced as it is. We’d still be lost on back roads in cars without GPS, and smartphones wouldn’t be as smart.” he says.
But as we build more intelligent and autonomous machines, he emphasizes that we need to think about the larger impact AI will have on all of us individually, as well as on society and the planet.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Straits Times, Professor Walsh explores the various issues raised by the use of AI, including ethical considerations and the unintended consequences of AI: Will it be stolen? Can AI make fair and objective decisions? Will AI intelligence overtake human intelligence? And in the not-so-distant future, what awaits Homo digitalis, who lives in a fully functioning artificial intelligence?
Q: What aspects of AI development are you excited about? Do you have any questions?
answer: There are many ways that AI can improve our lives. Let’s just think about health and education.
In education, AI brings the best knowledge to smartphone apps, helping to democratize access in remote and underserved communities.
In the field of health, AI offers many possibilities. Many deaths occur due to solvable causes, and AI will help with that. AI will also reduce the time it takes to discover new drugs and vaccines.
AI will also help tackle many other wicked problems. It helps combat climate change and end hunger and water scarcity.
You asked me what I am concerned about, and there are several things that I am very concerned about.
We are already seeing AI being used to sway people and cause division in society. The AI algorithms that run social media are distorting our conversations, and AI is also being used to generate fake news and fake tweets that overwhelm social media channels.
And another alarming development is the use of autonomous lethal weapons that can destroy human life and do not require food, pay, or rest.
If history has taught us one thing, the promise of clean warfare is and will continue to be a fantasy. Autonomous weapons further free us from acts of war and their moral considerations. Autonomous weapons, like all other weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, and nuclear), must be banned.
