Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, recently released a short film titled “The Age of AI and Our Human Future”. In the 16-minute video, Schmidt, together with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and other experts, discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact various aspects of our lives including industries, war, global relations, and reasoning.
The world of AI is no longer a thing of the future. It is already in place and changing the way we live, work and interact with each other. As such, individuals and organizations from all sectors are now discussing and debating its impact on our lives.
AI has the potential to disrupt and transform industries as we know them. According to Schmidt, AI will not only change the way businesses operate, but it will also create new ones. He said: “AI is not a technology, it’s a way of solving problems that wasn’t available to us before.”
The film suggests that AI will enable and enhance the automation of many tasks and functions, bringing higher productivity and efficiency to various industries. It also highlights that adoption of AI will require changes to be made to the existing business models, such as changing the way that businesses collect and process data.
One of the biggest concerns raised by Schmidt, Kissinger and others in the film is the impact of AI on global relations and warfare. They argue that AI will have major implications on international relations and the conduct of war, given the potential for AI to increase the scope and scale of armed conflict.
Schmidt points out that AI could be weaponized to create defense systems that are much faster and efficient than human response times. He also highlighted the potential of autonomous weapon systems that could be programmed to target specific people or groups.
Another potential impact of AI is its ability to change how we reason and make decisions. Schmidt and Kissinger highlighted that as machines become more capable of reasoning and decision-making, human reasoning may become less significant. This could lead to a situation where machines make more significant decisions, leaving humans with a reduced role or no role in decision making.
Despite the significant impact AI will have on our lives, Schmidt suggests that AI should be viewed as a tool, rather than a force that can bring about change on its own. He highlights the importance of humans’ ability to think critically and challenge the use of AI in instances where it may negatively impact society.
The development and deployment of AI technology must be done with careful consideration to ensure that it does not perpetuate existing biases, opines Schmidt. There is concern that AI may inherit the biases of its human makers, and that algorithms may unwittingly reflect and reinforce human prejudices.
In conclusion, the film provides a thought-provoking perspective on the current and future impact of AI on our lives. While AI may bring about significant benefits, it must be developed and deployed in a way that aligns with human values and ensures that it works towards enhancing human welfare rather than working against it.
The Age of AI and Our Human Future is a wakeup call to society to take an active role in shaping the course of AI, rather than being passive spectators. It offers a thought-provoking critique of the current development trend of AI, and an urgent call to reposition our thinking and practices about AI towards a more human-friendly direction.
