The EC warns that artificial intelligence brings many opportunities and challenges, and advocates acting quickly and in partnership to amplify the advantages and reduce the risks of a technology that will be enhanced in the coming years with the new 5G networks and the development of the Internet of things.
A recent report from the European Commission (EC) reviews from all possible perspectives and angles the future of artificial intelligence (AI), past, present and future. And it warns of the opportunities and challenges that await society, companies, and industries. Some opportunities and challenges of AI that will also have to be combined with indispensable and inseparable travel companions in the coming years such as 5G, the new communications technology, and the Internet of Things (IoT) or Internet of All Things (IoAT) , as the experts are now beginning to call it.
We are going to talk about all this in 2019 on the Very Interesting AI Blog. How the United States and China continue to widen their gap with the rest of the world in the development of artificial intelligence solutions and applications. From the first fifth generation experimental networks that will make it possible in countries that venture to deploy them so that all things are connected, especially in large cities. Analysts say that in the year 2050 70 percent of the population will live in cities, so one of the great challenges will be to develop, for example, new forms of mobility. And for this, 5G, although surely in 2050 we will coexist with 6G or 7G, if they are called that. “For autonomous driving, with which we will soon coexist, 5G will be essential,” says Javier González Pareja, president of Bosch in Spain. “This new form of mobility will require a location precision of just four inches.”
Although the Commission Report notes that Europe is currently well positioned in the quality of its research on artificial intelligence, with more than 30% of all articles on AI published in the best scientific journals, behind the The United States (33%), and considerably ahead of China, “the key areas in Europe on which to build a competitive advantage in the field of artificial intelligence are automated and connected vehicles and robotics.”
Many European countries, it is said in the EC Report, are developing strategies and programs to guide their AI development, with shared concerns about the need for an agreed ethical framework and applications that clearly benefit European society and uphold the values. enshrined in the treaties of the European Union. A high-level expert group established in 2018 by the European Commission is developing this framework. But the EC also notes how data is crucial for the development of AI, which is why it advocates “placing emphasis on the need to better share data among all data holders: the public sector, industry and the public. . Finding the right way to do it is a challenge ”.
From an educational perspective, the EC Report notes that AI has potential positive impacts on skills, learning and teaching shortages. “It is necessary to better understand how artificial intelligence impacts human intelligence and the cognitive abilities of adults and, even more importantly, children.” Also, says the analysis carried out by the European Commission, “we have to think beyond current needs and practices, and consider how AI is likely to change the relationship between education and work, and human development.”
AI could complement human activity and replace a growing number of routine tasks. Studies that measure the proportion of jobs with a high risk of automation, the Report states, exhibit a wide variety of theories and opinions in their findings depending on the definition and level of granularity at which the tasks are defined. and occupations, but what is really significant is how artificial intelligence is going to have enormous potential to stimulate economic growth. “When considered a general-purpose technology, AI could spread across many jobs and industry sectors, increasing productivity and generating strong positive growth.”
However, when it comes to inequality, artificial intelligence can adversely affect income distribution and the polarization of work. There will be a growing demand for higher-level, better-paid jobs on the one hand, and lower-paid lower-level jobs on the other. And this will lead to longer periods of unemployment for those workers with lower qualifications and skills. “These potentially negative consequences on the labor market have a geographic footprint, as the regions and sub-regions that are already experiencing the greatest difficulties in terms of unemployment and low skills are likely to suffer the most, if no action is taken. Clearly we need to closely monitor and investigate the multiple impacts of AI on the Economy in the coming years. And we have to consider a more proactive strategy to build the resilience of regions across Europe with particular respect for the most vulnerable ”.
When the Report talks about the combination of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, this conjugation is branded as “a double-edged sword”, since although AI can be very beneficial to increase the security of devices, systems and applications, It can also empower those looking to attack the same systems and networks. In this sense, the European Commission highlights that “there are lines of research focused on understanding the specific vulnerabilities of artificial intelligence and related attacks.”
Rapid advances in computing and data availability are also detailed in the document. With regard to computing, it is pointed out how a paradigm shift in data centers and their transfer is beginning to be seen, which will become unsustainable in the era of IoT and 5G networks. “The data traffic and processing loads are likely to be unprecedented when billions of devices are connected to the Internet, sensing the environment and constantly sending and receiving data. With this in mind, we are seeing a trend in which computing and data processing is done closer to the sensors and the data itself, including smartphones. “
Conclusions from the European Commission AI Report? “We are only at the beginning of a rapid period of transformation of our economy and society due to the convergence of many digital technologies.” “Artificial intelligence is central to this change and offers great opportunities to improve our lives.” “There is strong global competition in AI between the US, China and Europe.” “The US is leading for now, but China is moving fast and aims to take the lead by 2030.” “For the EU it is not so much about winning or losing a race, but about finding a way to embrace the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence in a way that is man-centered, ethics, security-based and based on our core values ”.
And finally, the Report notes: “We still know very little about how AI will impact the way we think, make decisions, interact and how it will affect our work. This uncertainty can be a source of concern, but it is also a sign of opportunity. The future is not yet written. We can shape it based on our collective vision of what future we would like to have. But we need to act together and act fast. “
