OK, Computer

Artificial intelligence is no longer a pie-in-the-sky, one-day concept - experts say we are mere months away from it surpassing human intelligence. The big question is, what does that mean for us?

- LIESL ROBERTSON

So here’s my dilemma: how do you write an article about AI without sounding like a doomsday prophet? When I pitched the idea, I was hoping to end up with a clear, concise piece that looked at the potential dangers but also provided some hope and a few possible scenarios of where it’s all headed. Oh, the arrogance.

What I’ve since realised, emerging bleary-eyed from a bottomless rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, neck-deep in research and AI thinkpieces, is that no one knows anything, really.

The experts at the forefront of AI can make educated guesses as to where it’s all headed, but the moment AI becomes more intelligent than we are, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen.

In an episode of the podcast Diary of a CEO, host Steven Bartlett spoke to AI expert Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer of Google X and bestselling author of Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World. Gawdat had some big pronouncements… ‘This is the most existential challenge humanity will ever face. It’s bigger than climate change… bigger than Covid. This will redefine the world…We’re not talking 2040; we’re talking 2025, 2026. It’s going to reshape the way we do things, and the way we look at life.’

AI is already here