“To Be? Or Not To Be?”
A presentation on Artificial Intelligence by Dr. Joanna Hesketh
Once upon a time, not long ago in what we now call the pre-digital era, new discoveries or current events fed conversations and rumours. Newspapers, local radio stations even townhall meetings informed what was quaintly called the ‘talk of the town’.
Very recently, the talk of the town – globally – is all about Artificial Intelligence (referred to by champions and detractors alike as ‘AI’ – always in CAPS, you’ll note!).Will AI be a boon to humankind? One that releases our advanced species from the drudgery of day-to-day life? And replaces it with knowledge and efficiency that surpasses the imaginations of even the most creative science fiction writers?
Or is it a matter of time before homo sapiens become little more than slaves to the capabilities and demands of technology?
On April 10, we had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Joanna Hesketh, a professor at VIU who introduced us to ways by which we can better understand and manage AI. In recent years Joanna has become increasingly interested in the psycho-social aspects – and therefore, the ethics – of AI.
Covering such a revolutionary subject in 40 minutes is of course an impossible goal, even for someone as knowledgeable and passionate as Dr. Hesketh. Consequently, her presentation focused on better understanding the ways we are and will be increasingly vulnerable to the inevitable presence of this latest form of ‘advanced technology’.
At wildfire pace, she touched on what AI is (and isn’t); and where it is already a critical part of our day-to-day lives whether we like it or not. For example, when on-line shopping. Or streaming. Or chatting. Or resolving a disagreement with your spouse or partner by consulting the guru of All Things, the revered Mr. Google. (Or is that Ms. Google?)
She had many messages for us. One of my favourites was “Every time you use your computer or device, consider that it is likely using you!”
Some others included:
- ALWAYS remember that AI is NOT sentient, intuitive or (importantly) kind. Treat it as an industry, not a person.
- Beware of deep fakes, voice-cloning and requests for unusual payments, even if you think you know the person making the demand. Think.
- Maintain healthy skepticism.
- Verify, verify, verify (!)
- Nothing is so urgent that you should risk all.
- Protect your personal information.
- Secure your wi-fi network.
- Be mindful of Smart home devices.
- Talk to a TRUSTED PERSON. (Hint: usually someone younger than ourselves.)
As the presentation wound-up I found myself recognizing that we are the generation who has lived in the pre-digital era and the digital era. In the future, I wonder what they will call the AI-driven world we are speeding towards? The post-digital renaissance, perhaps? And who exactly will be the “they” who are talking about it? Sentient human beings? Or something else?
Terry Kelly