We shouldn't let our collective anxiety about an apocalyptic future distract us from the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), says IBM VP of research Joanna Batstone.
Instead of being absorbed by fear, we should think of AI in the same way we think about a paintbrush; a tool, says Batstone speaking at a Vivid Ideas event held in Sydney.
Batstone said that since the Renaissance – the period deemed the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history – we've been using tools to shape our ideas and progress.
“The paintbrush, the pen, these are tools that we used for generations in terms of looking at way to find new ideas,” Batstone says.
This notion of using and building on preexisting technology or 'tools' is evident in the short history of computers. For Batstone, AI has taken us into a different style of partnership between human and machine.
“The artificial intelligence era were in at the moment is called the cognitive era as we've begun moving away from early computers we call the programmable era when we first started to get access to technology," she said.
“Whether it's the paintbrush for Michelangelo or the computer and AI machine as the tool of today, really technology is this partnership between human creativity enabled by the tools, and this continuing partnership between human and machine enables us to think of new ideas,” Batstone added.
This sentiment of AI as a tool was echoed by Monash University professor Jon McCormack.
Also speaking on the panel, McCormack used the example of Microsoft Word, which does not make people better writers, but simply furthers our own writing capabilities through its offerings.
While it was agreed machinery would not completely overwrite humans, there are certain tasks computers can do better, such as creative innovation.
For McCormack, it is important to remember as we continue down this path of development that machines and humans will always have complimentary capabilities, and should assist, not replace each other.
During the discussion, Batstone said we can also apply AI to emotive and creative fields such as music and design in what she called “augmented creativity”, as computers can generate randomised ideas better than humans.
The possible usurp of jobs by robots was also explored at the AdNews Media + Marketing Summit in May. The question of job losses in media was met by both scepticism and fear by the panel which featured speakers from Fairfax, Clemenger, Hourigan International and Hyland Media.
However, rather than fear an impending robot takeover, the panellists encouraged people in the media to skill up, not stress out.
“For me I think that our industry is definitely under attack and I think we really need to make sure that we are re-skilling right now, not tomorrow, not in a year – and be at the forefront of the wave,” Hyland founder Virginia Hyland says.
She argued those who actually do re-skill and learn new tech are the ones that are going to be at the front of the wave and “really enjoy a fantastic time as the world changes”.
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