Major AI revolutions we’ll miss out on if we screw up

What we could miss out on if we screw up AI

1. Medical cures — The clues to a cure for what ails us, cancer say, could already be in the totality of medical data we have amassed worldwide or in some combination of the medical research published by the dozens daily. No human or even group of humans could ever find the patterns. We look for breakthroughs and build on those, but advanced intelligent machines can comprehend it all. Also, A.I. system are increasingly on the front lines of research, diagnosis and genetic investigations in collaboration with doctors. If we close too many doors to A.I. development, we may never find the solutions to problems too complex for human minds to fully comprehend.



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1. Medical cures — The clues to a cure for what ails us, cancer say, could already be in the totality of medical data we have amassed worldwide or in some ... more Photo: 2009 Christian Science Monitor Photo: 2009 Christian Science Monitor Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Major AI revolutions we’ll miss out on if we screw up 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

We are entering a dangerous time for artificial intelligence.

We're used to worrying about AI killing us all with Terminators or at least enslaving us under its anthropomorphic boots or the boots of the humans in control of it. But shouldn't we be just as worried that we'll freak out over AI's creepy power and miss key utopian-making opportunities?

We've put together a list of those possibilities in the gallery above. The list comes from the many interviews I've had over the years and the recent White House workshop on AI held at the University of Washington. The White House will put on three more "Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence" events on the East Coast in the coming weeks.

Basically, learning machines, algorithms, deep learning, artificial intelligence — whatever you call super-powerful, non-human problem solvers — are the rising wave of the next dramatic, world-changing force that will revolutionize not just the human world but probably, eventually, the galactic world too.

The rise of AI will eclipse the power and dangers of unleashing the energy in fossil fuels to power the Industrial Revolution. It could be as big for humans as was the rise of agriculture.

But it's a tough call just how much to regulate, how strongly to promote and where to curb enthusiasm. For examples, just think of these three major developments affecting all humans and yet having very different outcomes:

GMOs have been found safe for people and the environment in a lot of scientific research, but adoption of GMOs is a nonstarter in many places. We're afraid of them, have created myths about them and will likely never fully develop the field because of those fears. What's not safe is having the genetics of the world's food supply owned by a few mega-corporations. But science is losing that public battle.

Vaccines, the biggest of all the miracles of modern medicine so far, are constantly under threat by those irrationally fearing them. But science won that battle. It gets harder and harder for anti-vaccine groups to get traction.

Another big battle between science and public fear is over climate change. Will science win out or will climate change deniers and the burning of fossil fuels continue until billions of humans are threatened?

And so here we are with artificial intelligence.

It's complicated, and there isn't a clear path on which to proceed, but proceed we must in a realm so complex, so vast that we don't know which pieces we can restrict without irreparable setbacks.

Hopefully, as the science and engineering behind AI continue, we will have meaningful conversations about the risks and the promises.

Here's how Edward Felten, White House deputy U.S. chief technology officer, a former University of Washington student and professor of computer science and public affairs at Princeton University, put it in his opening remarks to the White House workshop at UW on May 24 (You can watch the entire workshop on YouTube):

"Facial recognition. Computer vision. Language translation. In each case computers are approaching human capability, and in some they have surpassed us. The AI community keeps climbing one mountain after another and as it gets to the top of each mountain it sees ahead still more mountains. We've seen enough of the territory now to see the potential benefits that AI offers for addressing some of the biggest challenges we face. "Smart vehicles may one day save hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide and give mobility to the elderly and disabled. Smart buildings may save energy and reduce carbon emission. Precision medicine may extend our lives and increase our quality of life. Smarter government may serve citizens more quickly and more precisely, better protect those at risk and save the taxpayers money. AI enhanced education may help teachers give every child an education that opens doors to a secure and fulfilling life. "All of this is available, if we develop the technology with an eye to its benefits and with a careful consideration of its risks and challenges."

Felton said the White House will produce a report on what it has learned during these workshops. That white paper could very well establish the parameters for future discussions about regulation in this field. It is time for us regular folks to begin to weigh in, not with our Hollywood-inspired fears but our hopes and ethics as well.

(H/T Pedro)

Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or jakeellison@seattlepi.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Also, swing by and *LIKE* his page on Facebook. If Google Plus is your thing, check out our science coverage here.