SHARN KENNEDY
At the rate technology is advancing it won’t be long until we have developed artificial intelligence that possesses the potential to surpass our own capabilities.
The question is, would such a technology be beneficial or detrimental to the future of the human race?
The problem isn’t necessarily within the AI itself, but how we apply it within our society, with growing concern that if AI’s were utilised for military purposes that it could prove fatal to the human race.
On the other hand, such technology could provide huge leaps in the fields of medicine, scientific research and almost every aspect of everyday life.
At the Integrity 20 today, leading experts in the field laid out the potential of such technology, and the dangers that are inherently accompanied with it.
Unmanned Systems Australia CEO, Phil Swinburne is optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence and automated machinery.
He believes that the future of automated machinery could have huge benefits in almost all sectors of society.
He also touches on how the applicability of such automated technology will increase as societies environment changes to match the capabilities of artificial intelligence or automated machines.
“From a humanity point of view we can deliver food in areas of Africa, rescue missions and underwater vehicles to monitor the sea, the bleaching of the great barrier reef and put in mechanism much faster than in the past because our ability to observe and detect what’s going on we can close that cycle very quickly if we have plenty of sensors on the air and ground” – Phil Swinsburg
Another argument brought forward by David Tuffly, an expert on the social impact of technology is how far we should be implementing technology into our society.
David argues that in its current state the artificial intelligence we have developed isn’t ‘smart’and says that, “machines today have no morals, but we are putting them in our lives where we have greater ethical impacts.
Whilst still a believer in the benefits that artificial intelligence can provide, his concern is based in how we apply this technology into our society.
He explains how in Japan a generation of robot helpers are assisting the elder in a sector which is lacking within human resources, but states, “if the nature of work is going to change, we need to think of how society is going to work.”
As machines become more prevalent within our society, how do we discern the areas where humans should be replaced by artificial intelligence.
It could have impacts on the amount of jobs available in various sectors, the types of education which will be more highly sought within the future and how much we rely upon such technology within the future.
It’s an interesting dilemma, machines have given us the capabilities to completely reshape our society, but where do we draw the line.
That line is up to us to decide if the risks of artificial intelligence are too great to pursue any further, or if we already past that point without even noticing.
