Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The automotive industry has revolutionized manufacturing twice. The first time was in 1913 when Henry Ford introduced a moving assembly line at his Highland Park plant in Michigan. The innovation changed the production process forever, dramatically increasing efficiency, reducing the time it took to build a car, and significantly lowering the cost of the Model T, thereby kickstarting the world’s love affair with cars. The success of this system not only transformed the automotive industry but also had a profound impact on manufacturing worldwide, launching the age of mass production. The second time was about 50 years later, when General Motors installed Unimate, the world's first industrial robot, on its assembly line at the Inland Fisher Guide Plant, New Jersey. Initially...

The rapid development of AI brings both extraordinary potential and unprecedented risks. AI systems are increasingly demonstrating emergent behaviors, and in some cases, are even capable of self-improvement. This advancement, while remarkable, raises critical questions about our ability to control and understand these systems fully. In this article I aim to present my own statement on AI risk, drawing inspiration from the Statement on AI Risk from the Center for AI Safety, a statement endorsed by leading AI scientists and other notable AI figures. I will then try to explain it. I aim to dissect the reality of AI risks without veering into sensationalism. This discussion is not about fear-mongering; it is yet another call to action for a managed and responsible...

It seems everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI). Everyone. From senior executives to school kids, the hype - or dread - around this technology seems to be growing by the day. Much of this excitement, of course, has to do with the launch of generative AI applications like ChatGPT and Midjourney, which, for the first time perhaps, have given the average individual a felt sense of AI’s potential. That experience hasn’t just thrilled college students, designers and digital marketers, it has animated businesses and establishments across the world who are imagining an array of new commercial and public opportunities. Not surprisingly, this explosion of interest has many questioning whether we are witnessing what may turn out to be the...

As early as the mid-19th century, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace created the Analytical Engine, a mechanical general-purpose computer. Lovelace is often credited with the idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that it might act upon other than just numbers, touching upon concepts central to AI.

In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized many sectors, bringing about significant advancements in various fields. However, one area where AI has presented a dual-edged sword is in information operations, specifically in the propagation of disinformation. The advent of generative AI, particularly with sophisticated models capable of creating highly realistic text, images, audio, and video, has exponentially increased the risk of deepfakes and other forms of disinformation.

Targeted disinformation poses a significant threat to societal trust, democratic processes, and individual well-being. The use of AI in these disinformation campaigns enhances their precision, persuasiveness, and impact, making them more dangerous than ever before. By understanding the mechanisms of targeted disinformation and implementing comprehensive strategies to combat it, society can better protect itself against these sophisticated threats.

In their outstanding book, Wicked and Wise, Alan Watkins and Ken Wilber look at some of the most pressing ‘wicked problems’ facing the human race. ‘Wicked problems,’ they suggest, are difficult to define, but they are essentially unsolvable in the usual scientific sense. The authors go on: wicked problems, such as climate change, are multi-dimensional, have multiple causes, multiple stakeholders, multiple symptoms and multiple solutions. They are by definition complex and difficult to process. Crucially, they are created or exacerbated by people. Our species has proved capable of producing challenges of unfathomable difficulty. We may, however, also prove capable of developing the novel thinking and technology required to overcome them. Society 5.0 is the vision of such a future, in which humans and...