THE BIG PICTURE

THE MIDDLE PATH

As the pontiff says, “calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation and at times, a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family…”

One of a growing number of examples of how dangerous the race to robotise the world could be to the human race played out in China’s Xinjiang not long ago, when a ‘clown humanoid robot’ accidentally kicked a young boy in the stomach while performing martial arts moves during a demo. 

Meanwhile, the BBC reported in April that a mass ‘robotaxi’ (robotic cars) outage in the Chinese city of Wuhan caused at least 100 self-driving vehicles to stop amid the traffic. It adds that the outage sparked “a renewed debate around the safety of driverless vehicles.”

And as we know and have seen on our screens in recent times, there is also the military context… and beyond. As the pope warns, “disarming AI means freeing it from the mentality of ‘armed competition,’ which today is not limited simply to the military context but is also an economic and cognitive phenomenon.”

“This entails a race for evermore powerful algorithms and larger datasets, driven by the desire to secure geopolitical or commercial dominance,” he adds.

There is a flip side, of course… 

AI in all its shapes and forms has made life easier for all expect perhaps the underprivileged. What took us hours and days to accomplish can now be done in a matter of seconds or minutes. Be it navigation and logistics, supply chains, healthcare, manufacturing and even space exploration among others, smart technology rules the roost in the modern tech era.

Most recently, the University of Cambridge reveals that for the first time, a vaccine’s key component has been designed entirely by AI and then trialled in people. The vaccine was engineered to work on all coronaviruses.

But too much of anything can be too much! It isn’t unlike the saying that ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ which is where the world has been heading in recent years.

“As with every major technological shift, AI tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise and access to data,” the pope asserts.

He continues: “In light of the common good and the universal destination of goods, this raises serious concerns since small but highly influential groups can shape information and consumption patterns, influence democratic processes and steer economic dynamics to their own advantage, undermining social justice and solidarity among peoples.”

So while the world embraces AI with open arms, the fate of humanity lies in the balance… and in a worst case scenario, it faces an existential threat. 

The answer to this vexed question may lie in Lord Buddha’s middle path philosophy.

– Editor-in-Chief