Artificial intelligence is the great technological bet for the 21st century. Its refinement will automate many processes that will make people’s lives even easier and turn devices into truly intelligent machines. But of course, the prospects that artificial intelligence poses for the future raise various ethical dilemmas, and questions about how to implement such sophisticated technology.
In this context, Muy Interesante in collaboration with Huawei have held the first Forum ‘Artificial Intelligence: present and future’ , moderated by Enrique Coperías, director of Muy Interesante magazine and Juan Carlos F. Galindo, journalist expert in Communication of Innovation and Technology and author of the house’s artificial intelligence blog.
In this extensive and interesting debate, we have chatted with the most relevant experts in the country in this matter, with different positions regarding the definition of AI, its ethical limits, its utilities, and its implications for the future of people and of the companies.
In fact, companies that do not implement artificial intelligence will most likely be doomed to death. In this sense, both Huawei and Bosch, as well as Microsoft, present in the debate, are pioneers in the introduction of process automation through AI.
Juan Antonio Relaño, CIO of Bosch in Spain, relates how artificial intelligence already surpasses human in many processes: “I have already seen artificial intelligence surpass human intelligence in processes such as quality control. The error rate is only 2% “.
For its part, Fabio Arena from Huawei, highlights a basic technology that will help in this transformation of smart technologies. “There is a long way to go to emulate human thinking, but barriers are already being eliminated, such as simultaneous translation. And 5G plays a very important role .”
Therefore, if companies are going to play their cards at AI, an inescapable process in the process of being leaders in the latest technology, will the jobs that humans do today die out? Regarding this issue, Nuria Oliver, Director of Research in Data Sciences at Vodafone and Chief Data Scientist at Data-Pop Alliance, is clear: ” Our jobs will be obsolete over the years. We must train those professionals who they are being affected by the change. In addition to investing in innovation and education about what AI is. “
However, it is undeniable that AI can achieve efficiencies that humans cannot. As explained by Jordi Ribas, coordinator of the area of artificial intelligence at Microsoft: ” AI will allow, for example, to predict diseases much earlier than doctors.”
Some experts who joined us in the debate, yes, they were somewhat more skeptical as to what the machines can achieve, at least, in the short term. According to Jesús Cardeñosa, doctor in Computing and AI at UPM: ” We still cannot find a model that emulates human behavior as it was described in the 1950s.”
Undoubtedly, the prospect of creating a machine as similar to the human mind is a great challenge, and brings many contradictions, fears and ethical dilemmas, as José Manuel Nieves, science journalist , editor, and multimedia consultant pointed out: “Some of the most typical dilemmas of the AI are the automaton driving, and the robots of military use, programmed to kill. Who programs that and under what criteria? “.
The most optimistic point of view was Ramón L. de Mántaras, director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the CSIC: “What human beings really want is to be happy. And I think that AI really has the capacity to achieve that. Utopia”.
Nuria Oliver also has a friendly thought regarding artificial intelligence: “AI is fashionable in the sense that now everything is artificial intelligence ; but not only will it last but we will probably not be able to survive as a species without relying on it. Maybe the fashion is us . “
If this is true, this means that, one day, machines will be essential for us (although in many cases they already are) and we should not be afraid of them. This is very clearly reflected in the thought of José Luis Cordeiro, an MIT engineer and co-author of the work ‘The death of death’. “We must not be afraid of machines, but of human stupidity.” In fact, the engineer gave Japan as an example, where there are people who profess true love for artificial intelligences: “Go to Japan and see how they love robots. They have a soul , in the Japanese mentality.”
Do robots have ‘souls’? To what extent do companies need AI to lead the change to the new technological era? Will AI succeed in emulating and surpassing the human mind? How will AI benefit us as a species? Or, will it enslave us as the dystopias of science fiction suppose? Questions from the public and online viewers put an end to the event.
The debate is served, and the hours are short in Very Interesting for talks with our experts. See you at the next ‘Artificial Intelligence: present and future’ forum.
