ON A dank Friday night in Oxford, an ambassador O from the Vatican addresses a gathering of philosophers. Other than an invocation for audience members to tweet about the event, this might be a scene from the 15th century - the location for the gathering is St Luke's Chapel, its walls crisp and whitewashed, its glass windows stained.
Yet the subject matter under discussion could not be more contemporary: robots and what to do about them. Father Paolo Benanti, the speaker, is the pope's adviser on artificial intelligence. His urgent message to the assembled boffins, fellows of the newly created Institute for Ethics in Al at Oxford University, is that we're in danger of becoming an "algocracy", a society ruled by algorithms.
"We must recognise how order is made, how power is shifted by these new tools, Benanti pleads. "What rights do we want to sacrifice in the name of efficiency?"
These questions posed by Benanti are anything but academic. Much of our life, from what books we buy to what news we consume, is already heavily influenced by algorithms. But the past two years have seen a quantum leap in the quality and sophistication of artificial intelligence. We've entered what many experts are now describing as a golden age of AI.
In recent months OpenAI, one of the leading companies in the field, has twice lit up social media by giving us gorgeous, terrifying glimpses of the future. Over the summer it released DALL-E 2, which takes simple instructions - "show me Henry VIII eating a hot dog" - and generates startlingly good images.
Then in November it released ChatGPT, a chatbot whose ability to give instant, human-seeming responses to a dizzying array of questions left many wondering whether it had just killed off the undergraduate essay. Universities are still scrambling to respond.
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 16 March 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 16 March 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!
Kourtney Kardashian and other celebs are honouring the glory of new moms' postpartum bodies
LEON'S ORDEAL IS NO JOKE
Pain has dominated entertainer Leon Schuster's life after a serious back injury landed him in bed. But despite being depressed he remains hopeful he will recover so he can get back to work
'BREAK THE SILENCE'
That's the message of the Scottish comedian who turned his experience of stalking and sexual abuse into a hit Netflix show
A PLACE OF HOPE AND HEALING
Damaged people and abused dogs find a safe haven and a chance to start again at this farm in the Cape Winelands
FROM SPERM DONOR TO DAD OF 37
Peter Ellenstein's life took an unexpected turn when a message from a daughter he never knew he had led to him meeting dozens of his children and exploring what it means to be a father without ever having raised them
GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BREATH
A double lung transplant has given this chef a second chance at life - and he'll never forget the young man who made it possible
THE GAMES ARE GO!
Preparations are well under way in the City of Lights for the world's greatest sporting spectacle
MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
We break down what the new rules are and what to expect for the seventh national elections later this month
TOM'S A TOP GIFTER
He's known to go ALL OUT for his movies and stunts, so it's no surprise TOM CRUISE also PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS for his friends when it comes to GIFTS
TAMING THE BEAST
Recognising and managing your anger can make for a happier and healthier you