Should we be scared of AI or should we embrace it – or merely prepare to live with it? Will it destroy us? If not, what will it be doing for us in 2053?
These are burning questions thrown up by a recent Reuters/IPSOS poll that claims more than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about artificial intelligence technology and 61% fear it is a threat to civilization, while tech pioneers such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk have registered their concerns. Millions of other Americans and Europeans merely fear the unknown tech, while some have called for AI to be halted in the name of humanity.
So what is happening on the ground? We went to two of Britain’s leading voices on AI – an academic and an entrepreneur – for their views on the topic, and where it is taking our lives. Crystal ball gazing says one day we will be able to call our cars to pick us up and order pizza from a bot that knows what we like – but what do the experts say?
Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are among the biggest players in the United Kingdom. Leslie Kanthan is a founder of TurinTech AI, based in the City of London, one of around 20 companies building the country’s artificial intelligence industry. It raised around £4 million in funding, including a £1m seed round, in 2019. It employs around 40 researchers, and at least half of them hold a PhD, in shaping our future relationship with tech.
Why are we so scared of AI?
“I think the media has taken quite a scary angle on it, as they always do, but I think what we have to understand is there is no consciousness, at this particular point, in AI – it is still a human being that pushes the button, there is still a person behind it,” says Kanthan.
“If you think about mutually assured destruction (MAD) nuclear deterrents, right, there are still people on either side that have to press a button to launch a nuclear strike… It is similar with AI technology; AI technology is going to be used by someone and it is either going to be a good actor or a bad actor.”
Kanthan, who has a PhD from University College London in Graph Theory with applications in machine learning, financial mathematics, and big data, feels that the approach to AI calls for cool contemplation.
“I think the media has taken quite a scary angle on it, as they always do, but I think what we have to understand is there is no consciousness, at this particular point, in AI – it is still a human being that pushes the button, there is still a person behind it,” says Kanthan.
“If you think about mutually assured destruction (MAD) nuclear deterrents, right, there are still people on either side that have to press a button to launch a nuclear strike… It is similar with AI technology; AI technology is going to be used by someone and it is either going to be a good actor or a bad actor.”
Kanthan, who has a PhD from University College London in Graph Theory with applications in machine learning, financial mathematics, and big data, feels that the approach to AI calls for cool contemplation.
AI FAQs
According to a recent Reuters/IPSOS poll, more than two-thirds of Americans express concerns about artificial intelligence technology. The poll states that 61% of respondents fear that AI poses a threat to civilization. These statistics indicate a significant level of apprehension and wariness among the American population regarding AI's potential impact.
The fear or apprehension towards artificial intelligence is often referred to as "technophobia." Technophobia encompasses a general unease or anxiety people may experience when confronted with advanced or unfamiliar technologies, including AI.
Elon Musk has expressed his concerns about artificial intelligence. Though the billionaire who made his fortune through tech innovation invests in AI himself, he told CNN he fears “civilisation destruction” with the rise of the technology.
Bill Gates has expressed concerns about the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence. He has voiced apprehensions about AI falling into the wrong hands and emphasized the importance of ensuring its development is carried out responsibly and ethically.
Should we be scared of advancing AI?
“It is not like we use AI and it manages our entire financial system or you wake up one day and find all your money has gone from your bank because an AI algorithm has gone rogue. No algorithm goes rogue, no piece of technology goes rogue,” he says.
“I’m not one of those people who feels that AI going to destroy everything and anything. I think AI is going to help improve things and the way we live our lives, the economy and the environment as well.”
Ravi Vaidyanathan is a professor in Biomechatronics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College in London who has spent years studying AI.
“I am a little sceptical that in 10 years it is going to turn every aspect of our life on its head. I do see automated interaction becoming more part of our lives, hopefully more positive than negative,” he says.
What are the risks of AI?
Vaidyanathan believes it is up to people to be their own watchdogs when it comes to interacting with AI.
“There was a case, you probably heard of it, where lawyers, they had ChatGPT to do their legal background searches for them and they walked into court with a whole thesis that turned out to be completely wrong!” he says.
“I think the danger; AI, doing things that replace us is a danger, but I think a large danger is misuse; where someone uses it, doesn’t check, and the AI happily does the best it can and sometimes this is taken as Gospel and we stop thinking for ourselves. Those lawyers; it is not the AI that is at fault it is because they didn’t check!”
What will be the role of AI in the future?
Looking into the crystal ball it is clear that AI is likely to loom ever larger in our lives, according to Kanthan.
“I think 30 years from now, AI will be like your more personally close assistance tool. All your needs and everything that you ever need to do. A lot of other jobs may potentially be taken by AI, or augmented, I should say, so if you think of transportation you can have self-driving buses, you can have self-driving cars. People might not need to drive their car to a certain location – they can get on their phone and tell the car: collect me!”
“On the political front you are looking at AI being used by governments both good and bad, you will see defence measures as well so you will see systems in place using AI to protect against someone trying to rig your election or influence it,” he says.
“So, let’s say for example you want to order some food. Maybe you order a pizza, maybe there will be a model that will be trained to know you want a pizza and it will prompt you: are you feeling like having a pizza? You just say, “Yeah,” and it will have all your preferences ready.”
Mine is a pepperoni – the mind boggles!
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