New Horizons!

One thing we know, if we know nothing else, the world around us seems to be changing at an accelerating pace. In spite of the saying “plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose”, which may apply to the nature of man, we can’t deny what we are experiencing. This is nothing new, and yet we sometimes fear that the horizon we perceive will be like that imagined in the Middle Ages. Some believed that If we sail our ships to the new horizon, we could sail beyond that edge and we might fall off the world.

Some are warning humanity that permitting the full development of Artificial Intelligence, (AI) unchecked, will confront humans with the threat we faced similarly with development of the nuclear option in warfare, mutually assured destruction. Can humans lose control of a robotic  mechanism that never ceases to learn from its experiences with no element of human intervention that can shut it down? Can the algorithm learn how to manage humans rather than the other way around? Many are calling for caution and some agreed upon rules of the game. Some are saying it is already too late, that the genie is already out of the box. But could it be that this is just the start of a great leap forward for the human race?

Most of the people we hear from are talking about the economic and life-style advantage to be had from intelligent robots that can explore a multitude of problem-solving ideas almost instantaneously. How many of we slow-thinking humans can we replace in the process? Will we lose many more jobs than will be gained in this process, especially in the areas of manual work? How much money can the companies that serve us save in that process? How much in the way of savings can be passed on to consumers in that process? Will we need new ways to compensate people if unemployment is wholesale and employment becomes a rare feature of our mature societies?

How many human lives can be saved by using such processes to find answers to the many questions we have yet to answer in the medical field? As people are living longer, the health challenges multiply and public health costs rise. Will A.I lower health costs or raise them?

Lots of questions and few in the way of answers! But we are tripping all over ourselves exploring these ideas, and devil take the hindmost! Dollar bills are dancing in people’s eyes and there are many prophets offering answers.

Many are focusing on the search for the commercial entity that will most effectively offer the mechanism to facilitate the utilization of artificial intelligence. Will it be an article with physical properties? Will it be an advanced piece of computer software to shepherd, house and speed the learning process in ways never before dreamed possible? What will be the key, or will there be number of keys to kingdom?

Who will first engage the personnel, design, build and invest? Who will put up the money? Will it be private or public funds? On these decisions will depend the shape of the enterprise and the appearance of the future in this revolutionary area of human endeavor. We can be sure that competition between world power blocs will play its part.

Humanity’s future may well depend on whether we make wise choices in this important arena. I am counting on the great leap forward scenario! What do you think?