"Everything we love about civilization is a product of intelligence, so amplifying our human intelligence with artificial intelligence has the potential of helping civilization flourish like never before, as long as we manage to keep the technology beneficial."-Max Tegmark, President of the Future of Life Institute |
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First, what exactly is AI? Maybe a better question might be: what exactly is "intelligence"? The simplest descriptor is collecting data about the world, and using that data to make predictions in the short and long term. That applies to both people and machines. The more we study and develop artificial intelligence, the clearer it becomes that this massively powerful tool comes with a great deal of responsibility. As futurists try to plan out a rapidly changing and advancing world, the biggest hurdle isn't technological, but economic and political. Just a few tech monopolies control the latest breakthroughs in data collecting, processing, and analyzing, and while we hope that AI will help advance our society, it may just end up working to benefit the tech industry and only those who can afford to take advantage of cheaper, smarter human replacements - maybe, to the detriment of society. AI is here, but for now, we just don't know what the future holds. |