Earlier in May, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had an interview with CNBC. Nadella reveals what terrifies him the most regarding artificial intelligence or AI. He said that society must come together to “maximize the opportunity and mitigate the dangers” of AI.
“We definitely want the benefits of this technology and we want to mitigate the unintended consequences,” said Nadella in the interview that aired earlier in May. “The leadership that’s required and the coming together of all the parties that are required is challenging, but it has to be done.”
What’s the Deal with AI?
John McCarthy, considered one of the founding fathers of artificial intelligence, defines it as, “It is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs. It is related to the similar task of using computers to understand human intelligence, but AI does not have to confine itself to methods that are biologically observable.”
While the term artificial intelligence was created in 1956, AI has started to become a larger presence in worldwide society. The reason why it’s growing in popularity is that technology has come a long way since then. Now, because of increased data volumes, advanced algorithms, and progress in computing power and storage have made AI easier to understand and handle.
But, with all of the hype and excitement around it, dangers and concerns surrounding AI exist. For instance, there is a debate with ChatGPT. What it can do is that it is an AI language model that understands and generates human language. Recently, many students have been using it to assist them in writing or even cheat on homework.
Reactions to AI
There has been a lot of buzz and talk regarding AI. Recently, an AI arms race has appeared between different tech companies like Google and Microsoft. However, the rapid development of AI has made some feel uneasy such as lawmakers and even other tech giants like Elon Musk. He was part of a group of 27,000 to sign an open letter calling the halt of AI creation.
On May 18th, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet put forth a bill that would create a federal agency to regulate AI. He stated, “There’s no reason that the biggest tech companies on Earth should face less regulation than Colorado’s small businesses – especially as we see technology corrode our democracy and harm our kids’ mental health with virtually no oversight.”
Bennet also mentioned, “Technology is moving quicker than Congress could ever hope to keep up with. We need an expert federal agency that can stand up for the American people and ensure AI tools and digital platforms operate in the public interest.”
The bill makes changes to AI products such as having an updated definition to include companies that offer “content primarily generated by algorithmic processes.”
More Thoughts by Nadella
Nadella has said that there are concerns about AI, but humans are still a key part of the creation. “If anything, I feel, yes, it’s moving fast, but moving fast in the right direction,” he said. “Humans are in the loop versus being out of the loop. It’s a design choice, which, at least, we have made.”
Nadella has gone on to say that when new disruptive tech appears, there is always a loss of jobs. But, he also thinks that it can create new jobs. “I mean, there can be a billion developers. In fact, the world needs a billion developers,” he said. “So the idea that this is actually a democratizing tool to make access to new technology and access to new knowledge easier so that the ramp-up on the learning curve is easier.”
He goes on to say that AI can make education easier for the next generations. Nadella says that perhaps one day there is an “AI tutor” that can help children understand their lessons without the “fear of learning”. Nadella still believes that critical thinking is always there, “but that there is an opportunity to take advantage of new tools.
“Steve Jobs had this beautiful, beautiful line, right, which is ‘computers are like the bicycles for the mind,’” Nadella said. “We now have an upgrade, we have a steam engine for the mind.”
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of concerns about AI. While it is possible that it can make the world a better place and make our lives easier, there is also the chance of consequences. Some of these are obvious, but there may be something more sinister down the road.
Hopefully, AI never gets a mind of its own and tries to take over the world. Right?
