The interview on September 29, 2017 with Dr. Yuval Harari, a historian with the University of Tel Aviv and author of the book Homo Deus, delved in to the uncomfortable and yet completely unknowable incursion on the 21st century life by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He states that governments are not facing the impact AI has on possibly reducing more than 60 % of the working population over the next few decades. This group may well be called the "useless" class or more kindly the "unworking class". The other 40% may have wonderful jobs but with no jobs for the majority, it could be considered a catastrophe.
He credits Putin with his most significant comment made in his political life: Who controls AI in the future, controls the world. Harari find it "disconcerting" that the free market may organize our future and he doesn't trust the free market, for example, Google and/or Facebook, to decide the best outcomes for humans.
The term "useless" class confounded me. I believe no one is useless. But after listening carefully to Dr. Harari, I began to consider the unstoppable impact that AI is bringing to our lives. Jobs are disappearing faster than new ones can be created. Are we headed for a distopian civilization that is uncomprehensable?
In the early 1980's I read a book entitled the Enchanted Loom which praised the development of our human brain throughout the centuries. It also postulated,, that with the rapid generational development of computers, as early as the 21st century, the possibility would exist that with attaching electrodes to both a human's brain and a computer, intelligence, reasoning, and emotional behaviour could be transferred to the computer's data base. At the time I scoffed at the idea but no longer, as a result of hearing Dr. Harari's interview.
I would have liked to ask Dr. Harari if he saw the take-over of AI as a world-wide phenomena or would the more underdeveloped agrarian societies be spared the possible scourge?
The development of the digital world has made a huge impact on the world in which I live--texting, computers, blogs, smartphones on an individual level and automation in manufacturing and surgical procedures, for example, on a societal level. What do you see as the greatest benefit of AI--or conversely the worst disaster? I'd like to know.
A friend is very interested in virtual reality simulations told me that my job (a teacher) would be the first to go when AI 'took over'? (A little rude, I know!) On the one hand, perhaps I can see the benefits of this - a uniform approach to teaching through AI would ensure an level of equality and uniformity that is not possible with human teachers. However, how would an AI teacher cope with Aoiki's 'lived curriculum' without the full capacity of human emotional responses? The greatest benefit, progress and efficiency I will call it, is linked , therefore, to potentially the greatest disaster - a decline in the value and importance of human emotion.
A friend is very interested in virtual reality simulations told me that my job (a teacher) would be the first to go when AI 'took over'? (A little rude, I know!) On the one hand, perhaps I can see the benefits of this - a uniform approach to teaching through AI would ensure an level of equality and uniformity that is not possible with human teachers. However, how would an AI teacher cope with Aoiki's 'lived curriculum' without the full capacity of human emotional responses? The greatest benefit, progress and efficiency I will call it, is linked , therefore, to potentially the greatest disaster - a decline in the value and importance of human emotion.
Reading through your post Jennette, I was immediately reminded of my 10th grade "Career" teacher who told me that it was "useless" to go into education and aspire to be a teacher, as all students would eventually be taught by a computer. As I read Katy's comment, it struck me that this notion of AI's replacing teaching is perhaps more common than I thought. Quite possibly the worst possible case for AI control would be that those who have the possibility do not take into account the human impact of the decisions that are made. There is a growing awareness of the harmful effects of social media with regards to self-esteem and cyber-bullying especially among young teens. Without human interaction, some people on one side of a computer forget about the human on the other side and say/write things online that they would never do in person. I worry about how society will change if we look to AI's to replace tasks and interactions that were previously done by a human.
The interview on September 29, 2017 with Dr. Yuval Harari, a historian with the University of Tel Aviv and author of the book Homo Deus, delved in to the uncomfortable and yet completely unknowable incursion on the 21st century life by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
ReplyDeleteHe states that governments are not facing the impact AI has on possibly reducing more than 60 % of the working population over the next few decades. This group may well be called the "useless" class or more kindly the "unworking class". The other 40% may have wonderful jobs but with no jobs for the majority, it could be considered a catastrophe.
He credits Putin with his most significant comment made in his political life: Who controls AI in the future, controls the world. Harari find it "disconcerting" that the free market may organize our future and he doesn't trust the free market, for example, Google and/or Facebook, to decide the best outcomes for humans.
The term "useless" class confounded me. I believe no one is useless. But after listening carefully to Dr. Harari, I began to consider the unstoppable impact that AI is bringing to our lives. Jobs are disappearing faster than new ones can be created. Are we headed for a distopian civilization that is uncomprehensable?
In the early 1980's I read a book entitled the Enchanted Loom which praised the development of our human brain throughout the centuries. It also postulated,, that with the rapid generational development of computers, as early as the 21st century, the possibility would exist that with attaching electrodes to both a human's brain and a computer, intelligence, reasoning, and emotional behaviour could be transferred to the computer's data base. At the time I scoffed at the idea but no longer, as a result of hearing Dr. Harari's interview.
I would have liked to ask Dr. Harari if he saw the take-over of AI as a world-wide phenomena or would the more underdeveloped agrarian societies be spared the possible scourge?
The development of the digital world has made a huge impact on the world in which I live--texting, computers, blogs, smartphones on an individual level and automation in manufacturing and surgical procedures, for example, on a societal level. What do you see as the greatest benefit of AI--or conversely the worst disaster? I'd like to know.
An interesting interview!
ReplyDeleteA friend is very interested in virtual reality simulations told me that my job (a teacher) would be the first to go when AI 'took over'? (A little rude, I know!) On the one hand, perhaps I can see the benefits of this - a uniform approach to teaching through AI would ensure an level of equality and uniformity that is not possible with human teachers. However, how would an AI teacher cope with Aoiki's 'lived curriculum' without the full capacity of human emotional responses? The greatest benefit, progress and efficiency I will call it, is linked , therefore, to potentially the greatest disaster - a decline in the value and importance of human emotion.
An interesting interview!
ReplyDeleteA friend is very interested in virtual reality simulations told me that my job (a teacher) would be the first to go when AI 'took over'? (A little rude, I know!) On the one hand, perhaps I can see the benefits of this - a uniform approach to teaching through AI would ensure an level of equality and uniformity that is not possible with human teachers. However, how would an AI teacher cope with Aoiki's 'lived curriculum' without the full capacity of human emotional responses? The greatest benefit, progress and efficiency I will call it, is linked , therefore, to potentially the greatest disaster - a decline in the value and importance of human emotion.
Reading through your post Jennette, I was immediately reminded of my 10th grade "Career" teacher who told me that it was "useless" to go into education and aspire to be a teacher, as all students would eventually be taught by a computer. As I read Katy's comment, it struck me that this notion of AI's replacing teaching is perhaps more common than I thought. Quite possibly the worst possible case for AI control would be that those who have the possibility do not take into account the human impact of the decisions that are made. There is a growing awareness of the harmful effects of social media with regards to self-esteem and cyber-bullying especially among young teens. Without human interaction, some people on one side of a computer forget about the human on the other side and say/write things online that they would never do in person. I worry about how society will change if we look to AI's to replace tasks and interactions that were previously done by a human.
ReplyDeleteFascinating discussion!
ReplyDeleteJennette, I'll show you how to create new posts and how to comment on your colleague's posts in tonight's class.