The report argues that we are at an inflection point where researchers and governments must think and act carefully to contain the risks AI presents and make the most of its benefits.
The report comes out of the AI100 project, which aims to study and anticipate the effects of AI rippling through our lives over the course of the next 100 years.
I believe that this will bring with it great economic and societal benefits, but that it will also require us to address the many challenges to ensure that the benefits are broadly shared, and that people are not marginalized by these new technologies.
The AI100 report argues that worries about super-intelligent machines and wide-scale job loss from automation are still premature, requiring AI that is far more capable than available today.
It’s clear we’re at an inflection point: we need to think seriously and urgently about the downsides and risks the increasing application of AI is revealing.
Indeed, governments around the world have begun to consider and address the opportunities and challenges posed by AI, but they remain behind the curve.
In an AI-enabled world, our citizens, from the youngest to the oldest, need to be literate in these new digital technologies.
At the end of the day, the success of AI research will be measured by how it has empowered all people, helping tackle the many problems facing the planet, from the climate emergency to increasing inequality within and between countries.
AI will have failed if it harms or devalues the very people we are trying to help.