A leading researcher in Artificial Intelligence, Toby Walsh has pegged 2062 as the year when thinking machines will be ready to take on the human race and completely change the dynamics of work, war, politics, relationships and mortality, unless we tread with caution and learn to judiciously use AI as a life-enhancing tool.
Fifty-five-year old Walsh, Scientia Professor of AI at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, has been hailed a "rockstar" of the digital revolution in Australia. He is currently leading a campaign to stop killer robots with a global coalition of scientists—a preemptive measure to deactivate any development of autonomous weaponry. He will further elucidate his thoughts and ideas on the future of AI at Mountain Echoes, the Bhutan festival of art, literature and culture to be held next week from August 22 to 25.
In an email interview with THE WEEK, he talks about why we should begin to use the phrase "augmented intelligence" and how Bollywood might start using "digital actors" sooner than we think.
If thinking machines will strike by 2062, and homo sapiens will evolve into homo digitalis, what language will this species speak?
They'll speak binary, of course! The language of computers.
How soon do you think AI will supplant human activity in surging economies like India?
India is perhaps going to see the impact slower than more developed economies as there are many people in jobs that are too poorly paid to be replaced by computers. But it will have a noticeable impact nevertheless. Call centres will be automated and no longer out-sourced to India. Banks will be digital. Even Bollywood will start using digital actors.
The next 50 years promise a bold new era of space exploration and development. How will AI expedite this? Also, can humans then move to another planet? Does it offer more optimism for the human race?
Humanity has always been a bold and curious explorer. But rather than conquer space, I'd hope we devote more time and money to problems here on Earth.
Can the human race be overtaken by climate change and slow growth even before AI?
There are many wicked problems facing the planet today—from climate change to increasing inequality within and between countries. It's too late for political fixes now to climate change. We are sure to see at least 2 degrees of temperature rise. We must, therefore, look for technological fixes. And AI is one of the technologies that will let us manage the planet in a more sustainable way.
also read
Scientists are working to identify genes which could be altered to create superior humans. Are these questionable experiments in transhumanism another version of AI?
We can read and now write the human genome. AI will help us work out what these genes do. We've already seen machine learning predict a person's height at birth to within an inch, to predict their susceptibility to breast or colon cancer, etc. These are amazing technologies that will help us all live longer and healthier. We will soon have the capability to eliminate all inherited diseases. But equally, we have the technology to make a brave new world. We must proceed with care and caution.
Is it more likely that homo sapiens and home digitalis are two sides of the same coin and can easily co-exist?
We are tool users. We have used tools to shape the world and live better lives. AI is just another tool that will augment us. Indeed, one day I hope we stop calling it 'Artificial Intelligence' and start calling it 'Augmented Intelligence'.
