How AI / Artificial Intelligence will transform every industry and nation - banking, insurance, retail, manufacturing, travel and leisure, health care, marketing and so on - What AI thinks about the future of AI? Threats from AI? Keynote speaker

Futurist Keynote Speaker: Posts, Slides, Videos - Artificial Intelligence / Robotics / Cyber etc

* "Life with AI - How to survive and succeed in a super-smart world" - Patrick Dixon's new book on AI is published in September 2024 by Profile Books

What will be the future impact of AI / Artificial Intelligence on our wider world?  The answer is that it will be massive in every dimension of human life.

Most of the influence of AI on your own life will be hidden, and hard to understand but the total combined effect will be very powerful, affecting decisions you make, influencing your thoughts, shaping your opinions, affecting your own unconscious bias and preferences.

To help explore these issues, I thought it would be revealing to have a conversation (below) about the future of AI with AI itself - using ChatGTP, a powerful Artificial Intelligence engine, which has learned about the world by analysing billions of words written by human beings. My conclusion about the conversation is that ChatGTP is not telling the truth when it comes to the downsides of AI.

Word-based machines like ChatGPT are running out of text to learn from

Word-based AI machines like ChatGPT are already up against a limit in their training programmes. For example, ChatGTP has already read most of the available words online and is rapidly running out of new material to learn from! So the next step-wise improvement will need to come from other innovations in Artificial Intelligence, and from actually engaging with live human beings.

We can expect another major extension of AI language learning by feeding AI with recorded content - all the world's TV, radio and films for example.  But the total number of new words in all that is surprisingly small - human beings can't speak much faster than 130 words a minute, so even an hour of TV rarely contains more than 6000 words.

So what of the future?  How good will such word-based engines be by 2025?  Answer: good enough to convince most people most of the time that they are chatting online to a human being.

AI is already good enough to pass some student exams 

The AI system is already good enough to deliver coursework for exams, complete homework assignments, write press releases or information bulletins, write computer code, and so on.

Billions of paragraphs have already been generated by AI bots like ChatGTP, swamping the web and search engines with automated articles, social media posts and so on.  

This is already degrading the experience of human beings searching for world-class content, amongst all the automatically generated clutter.  

Text produced by AI is being swept up into the pool of all available text to train all future AI chatbots - so that AI text begins to train AI to produce more AI text.  This could easily result in a distortion, subtle at first, for example in literary styles. It will mean that early AI bots may have a profound impact on the language capabilities and "personality" of bots that follow.

So here below is the AI view of the future of AI.  

I had a wide ranging conversation with ChatGPT about the impact of AI /Artificial Intelligence on banking, insurance, retail, health care and life expectancy, pharma, airlines, auto industry, leisure sector, marketing, advertising, software development, manufacturing, logistics and supply chain management, construction industry, food industry, farming, national security, privacy and human rights, military strategy and wars, sustainability and decarbonisation, workplace, Human Resources and people management, motivation and job satisfaction, legal profession and so on.

You will notice that many of these AI answers are quite upbeat, lag far behind today's realities, and tend to avoid discussions of risks from AI, threats in a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence. Text created by ChatGTP is in italics.  My own comments are in bold.

One thing is clear: in an increasingly virtual and automated world there will be a growing premium for real personal contact, for authentic face to face relationships, for actually "being there" eg at a rock concert or a football match or a birthday party.

How AI will be used to accelerate Computer Programming / Software Development

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact computer programming. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Code completion: AI-powered systems could analyze code and suggest lines of code to complete a task, saving programmers time and effort.

2. Code debugging: AI could be used to analyze code and identify errors or potential issues, helping programmers to fix problems more quickly.

3. Optimization: AI could be used to analyze code and suggest ways to optimize it for improved performance.

4. Code generation: AI could be used to generate code based on a set of specifications or rules, allowing programmers to create software more quickly and efficiently.

Overall, the use of AI in computer programming has the potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of programming tasks, as well as to free up programmers to focus on more complex and creative tasks.

Comment: the role of AI will be revolutionary over the next decade, in software development.  Expect massive acceleration in speed of code writing, debugging for errors, simplifying code to make things run faster, optimisation of code for new processors and other hardware, adapting systems to new IT platforms etc etc.  Expect the first self-coding computer systems where AI is writing instructions for it's own operation and for operation of many other digital systems, adapting, learning, integrating, becoming ever more powerful.  Expect such machine-learning systems to be far more intelligent than any human being, and their integrated capacity to become very hard to monitor or control. This will create some of the greatest challenges that the human race has ever had to deal with - with many ethical questions.  Autocratic regimes will find such AI machines are very useful in all levels of state control, and will invest heavily in automating state security, but will at times be surprised by what their machines actually do (or try to achieve).

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Banking and Insurance

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the banking and insurance industries, as well as the customers of those industries. In the banking industry, AI can be used to improve the accuracy and speed of financial transactions, reduce fraud, and improve the customer experience through personalized services.

For example, AI-powered chatbots can be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as making payments or reporting fraud. In the insurance industry, AI can be used to analyze data and identify trends, which can help insurance companies to better assess risk and set premiums.

Comment: AI chatbots will be indistinguishable from live operators.  Expect governments to require companies to say when a "chat" is being conducted by a robot rather than a real person.

AI can also be used to automate claims processing and improve the efficiency of the claims process for customers.

Additionally, customers may benefit from the use of AI in these industries through the availability of new, personalized financial products and services.

Comment: AI will also be used by criminals to attack banks, insurance companies and deceive customers. Expect a massive boom in cyber-deceptions.  Very detailed, personalised text / email exchanges which appear to be genuine but are entirely automated, aiming to steal money from individuals and organisations. AI deceptions will include false face recognition, impersonating someone's voice on the phone, plus their face on video calls.

How will Artificial Intelligence transform the future of Retail?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the retail industry and e-commerce, as well as the experience of retail customers. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Personalized product recommendations: AI-powered systems could analyze a customer's purchase history and browsing behavior to make personalized product recommendations.

2. Improved search functionality: AI could be used to improve the accuracy and relevancy of online search results, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for.

3. Enhanced customer service: AI-powered chatbots could be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as returning items or tracking orders.

4. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on consumer behavior and make predictions about future demand for products, helping retailers to optimize their inventory and pricing.

5. Fraud detection: AI could be used to analyze data on transactions and detect fraudulent activity, helping to protect customers and retailers from financial losses.

Comment:  All 1-5 above are already happening to some extent, often in ways hidden to customers.  Expect a massive step up.

How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) improve health care and life expectancy

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the healthcare industry, including hospitals, community care, and life expectancy. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Improved diagnosis and treatment: AI could be used to analyze patient data and make recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. For example, AI algorithms could analyze medical images to identify patterns and make recommendations for further testing or treatment.

2. Enhanced drug development: AI could be used to analyze data on drug effectiveness and identify potential new uses for existing drugs.

3. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on patient health and make predictions about future health outcomes, helping healthcare providers to identify and address potential health issues before they become serious.

4. Improved efficiency: AI could be used to automate tasks such as scheduling appointments and processing insurance claims, freeing up healthcare providers to focus on patient care.

5. Personalized medicine: AI could be used to analyze an individual's genetic data to make personalized recommendations for diet, exercise, and medical treatment.

Overall, the use of AI in healthcare has the potential to improve the quality and accessibility of care, as well as to increase life expectancy by helping to prevent and treat diseases more effectively.

Comment:  Once again - all 1-5 are already here, in play, improving health care, and innovation is taking place at astonishing speed, using Artificial Intelligence to diagnose more rapidly and accurately, predict health care outcomes, determine best treatment etc.

What will be the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Pharma industry and drug discovery / drug trials?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery, as well as the clinical trial process. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Drug discovery: AI could be used to analyze data on the effectiveness of different drugs and identify potential new uses for existing drugs.

2. Clinical trial recruitment: AI could be used to analyze patient data and identify potential candidates for clinical trials.

3. Predictive modeling: AI could be used to analyze data on the effectiveness of different treatments and make predictions about which treatments are most likely to be successful.

4. Safety and efficacy monitoring: AI could be used to analyze data on the side effects of different drugs and identify potential safety issues.

Overall, the use of AI in the pharmaceutical industry has the potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of drug discovery and development, as well as to increase the effectiveness of clinical trials.

Comment:  Again - all 1-4 are already happening in larger pharma companies.  A key area is drug discovery - using AI to predict in advance what type of new molecules should be built and what their health impact is likely to be.

How will Artificial Intelligence assist the Airline Industry in future?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the aviation and airline industry, as well as the experience of air travelers. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Personalized flight recommendations and bookings: AI-powered systems could analyze a traveler's preferences and past travel history to make personalized flight recommendations and even handle the booking process.

2. Improved safety: AI could be used to analyze data from a variety of sources (e.g. aircraft sensors, pilot performance records) to identify potential safety issues and suggest solutions.

3. Predictive maintenance: AI could be used to analyze data from aircraft systems to predict when maintenance will be needed, allowing airlines to schedule maintenance before issues arise.

4. Enhanced customer service: AI-powered chatbots could be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as rebooking flights or checking in.

5. Streamlined airport processes: AI could be used to improve the efficiency of processes such as check-in, security, and baggage handling, resulting in a smoother experience for travelers.

Comment:  So a familiar pattern here since all 1-5 are already here or close to being rolled out by some airlines.  A really interesting area is predictive maintenance linked to improving safety - where AI is able to direct attention of engineers to likely future problems they have no idea about at the time.

What impact will Artificial Intelligence have on the Leisure Industry?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the leisure industry. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Personalized recommendations: AI-powered systems could analyze a customer's past leisure activities and preferences to make personalized recommendations for future activities. For example, a tourist might receive recommendations for restaurants and attractions based on their past travel history and preferences.

2. Enhanced customer service: AI-powered chatbots could be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as booking tickets or reserving a table at a restaurant.

3. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on consumer behavior and make predictions about future demand for leisure activities. This could help businesses to optimize their pricing and marketing strategies.

4. Safety monitoring: In the theme park industry, AI could be used to monitor ride safety and identify potential issues before they become problems.

5. Virtual reality experiences: AI could be used to create more realistic and immersive virtual reality experiences for leisure activities such as video games and theme park attractions.

Overall, the use of AI in the leisure industry has the potential to improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and optimize business strategies.

Comment: while all the above is true, the truth is that AI / Virtual Reality theme park type experiences are not proving that popular.  A key reason is that theme park visits are all about shared experiences as a group of friends or family, and wearing individual headsets does not do that.  Individuals become locked into their own personal worlds, which can be fun but often can feel rather gimmicky compared to the authentic nature of a traditional shared "wild" theme park ride.

In addition to these general examples, there are also specific ways in which AI could impact different subsectors of the leisure industry. For example:

1. Travel and tourism: AI could be used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of travel booking systems, as well as to make personalized recommendations for flights, hotels, and activities based on a traveler's past history and preferences.

2. Hospitality: AI could be used to optimize room assignments and pricing for hotels, as well as to improve the accuracy and efficiency of food and beverage service.

3. Entertainment: AI could be used to optimize the scheduling and pricing of events such as concerts and sporting events, as well as to create more personalized and immersive entertainment experiences.

4. Theme parks: In addition to safety monitoring, AI could be used to optimize the scheduling and pricing of theme park attractions, as well as to create more personalized and immersive experiences for visitors.

5. Sports: AI could be used to analyze data on athlete performance and make predictions about the outcome of sporting events. It could also be used to optimize the scheduling and pricing of sporting events and improve the fan experience.

Overall, the use of AI in the leisure industry has the potential to greatly improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and optimize business strategies. It is likely that AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in the leisure industry in the coming years.

Comment: there are many other sectors where AI will have a much greater transformative effect. At the end of the day, leisure is about experiences and relaxation, about being authentic, present, in the moment.

How the future of the Auto Industry will be impacted by Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the automotive industry. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Autonomous vehicles: AI is a key technology behind the development of autonomous vehicles, which are vehicles that can operate without a human driver. AI systems in autonomous vehicles are responsible for tasks such as perception (sensing the environment and other vehicles), decision-making (determining the best course of action), and control (executing actions such as steering and braking).

2. Predictive maintenance: AI could be used to analyze data from vehicle sensors to predict when maintenance will be needed, helping to reduce downtime and improve vehicle efficiency.

3. Personalized driving experiences: AI could be used to create personalized driving experiences by analyzing data on a driver's preferences and adjusting the vehicle's performance and features accordingly.

4. Improved safety: AI could be used to analyze data from vehicle sensors and make recommendations to improve safety, such as suggesting a safer route or alerting the driver to potential hazards.

5. Enhanced customer service: AI-powered chatbots could be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as scheduling service appointments or troubleshooting issues.

Overall, the use of AI in the automotive industry has the potential to improve safety, increase efficiency, and enhance the customer experience.

Comment: by far the most important application for AI in the auto industry is in self-driving vehicles. The rest is easy by comparison and already widespread eg predictive analytics for car maintenance.  Autonomous driving will become very common in most large cities of the world over the next 20 year, but the future is about emotion not just innovation.  

Do not underestimate the emotional pull and exhilaration of being able to actually drive a vehicle.  Remember the buzz for most of us in learning to drive, looking forward to being old enough to do so, and after passing a driving test.  Yes, insurers in future will charge us more to drive ourselves than to be driven by robots - due to extra risks - but that won't stop vast numbers of people choosing to drive themselves (not necessarily all the time).

Impact of AI / Artificial Intelligence on Marketing and Advertising

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact marketing. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Personalized recommendations: AI-powered systems could analyze data on a customer's past purchases and browsing behavior to make personalized product or content recommendations.

2. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on consumer behavior and make predictions about future demand for products or services, helping businesses to optimize their marketing strategies.

3. Customer segmentation: AI could be used to analyze data on customer behavior and characteristics to group customers into segments, allowing businesses to tailor their marketing efforts to specific groups of customers.

4. Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots could be used to answer customer questions and assist with tasks such as making a purchase or requesting more information about a product.

5. Social media monitoring: AI could be used to analyze data from social media platforms to identify trends and optimize marketing efforts on those platforms.

Overall, the use of AI in marketing has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing efforts, as well as to enhance the customer experience.

Comment: there is no doubt that AI will have a massive impact on every aspect of marketing and advertising, mostly hidden from customers.  It's already happening.  More interesting will be using AI to suggest advertising slogans, design concepts, advertising copy and so on, competing for creativity with marketing teams.  Marketing is rapidly becoming a digital science with vast numbers of measurable and tests, carried out in real time, refining concepts, slogans, shapes, images, colours, sound tracks and so on - in the light of how customers are reacting.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on future of Manufacturing

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact manufacturing. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Predictive maintenance: AI could be used to analyze data from manufacturing equipment and predict when maintenance will be needed, helping to reduce downtime and improve efficiency.

2. Quality control: AI could be used to analyze data on the quality of manufactured products and identify defects or issues before they become problems.

3. Process optimization: AI could be used to analyze data on manufacturing processes and suggest ways to optimize them for improved efficiency and reduced costs.

4. Supply chain management: AI could be used to analyze data on the supply chain and identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies, helping to improve the flow of materials and products.

5. Robotic automation: AI could be used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of robotic systems in manufacturing, allowing them to handle more complex tasks and work alongside human workers.

Overall, the use of AI in manufacturing has the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase the accuracy and quality of manufactured products.

Comment: nothing particularly radical here. Futurists like myself have been talking about Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0 etc for years and 1-5 above are just natural extensions of all that.  But here is a reality check.  Take robotics for example: even in 2023 the truth is that almost all robots in manufacturing are in only one industry which is auto.  A vast amount of global manufacturing is relatively straightforward, low in digital sophistication and changing quite slowly, compared to things like the growth of Social Media, Cloud computing, Big Data and so on.

How Artificial Intelligence will improve Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact logistics and supply chain management. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on past shipments and make predictions about future demand, helping logistics companies to optimize their routes and schedules.

2. Route optimization: AI could be used to analyze data on factors such as traffic and weather to identify the most efficient routes for shipments.

3. Inventory management: AI could be used to analyze data on inventory levels and demand to optimize inventory levels and reduce the risk of stock-outs.

4. Predictive maintenance: AI could be used to analyze data on the performance of logistics equipment and predict when maintenance will be needed, helping to reduce downtime and improve efficiency.

5. Fraud detection: AI could be used to analyze data on shipments and identify potential fraudulent activity, helping to protect logistics companies and their clients from financial losses.

Overall, the use of AI in logistics and supply chain management has the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase the accuracy and reliability of shipments.

Comments:  see my comments on manufacturing above.

How the Construction Industry will be changed by Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the construction industry. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Construction site management: AI could be used to analyze data from construction sites (e.g. weather data, materials data) to optimize site management and improve efficiency.

2. Predictive maintenance: AI could be used to analyze data on the performance of construction equipment and predict when maintenance will be needed, helping to reduce downtime.

3. Safety monitoring: AI could be used to analyze data from wearable devices and other sensors to identify potential safety hazards and suggest corrective actions.

4. Design and planning: AI could be used to analyze data on past construction projects to identify trends and optimize the design and planning of future projects.

5. Quality control: AI could be used to analyze data on the quality of construction materials and identify potential issues before they become problems.

Overall, the use of AI in the construction industry has the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase safety on construction sites.

Comment:  yes there will indeed be an impact but relatively small on the average building project.  Watch out for AI assisted building design. It's already here - on several systems you can design a hospital or a school or a factory in a few seconds, by entering the site details, a few requirements, and allowing AI to do the rest.  Of course, the overall shape may lack inspiration or aesthetics but expect AI to improve here too.  Just look at the way AI is already generating new images, paintings and so on.

The impact of AI / Artificial Intelligence on the Food Industry

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the food industry. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Personalized nutrition recommendations: AI could be used to analyze data on an individual's dietary habits and make personalized nutrition recommendations.

2. Food safety monitoring: AI could be used to analyze data on food production and identify potential safety issues, helping to prevent foodborne illness.

3. Supply chain management: AI could be used to analyze data on the food supply chain and identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies, helping to improve the flow of food from producers to consumers.

4. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on consumer demand and make predictions about future trends, helping food companies to optimize their production and marketing strategies.

5. Recipe recommendations: AI could be used to analyze data on an individual's dietary preferences and make personalized recipe recommendations.

Overall, the use of AI in the food industry has the potential to improve the efficiency, safety, and accuracy of food production and distribution, as well as to enhance the customer experience.

Comment:  impact of AI on the food industry will be signficant but relatively small compared to many other sectors.

How farming and land management will be impacted by Artificial Intelligence / AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact farming and land management. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this industry include:

1. Precision agriculture: AI could be used to analyze data from sensors and satellites to optimize irrigation, fertilization, and pest management, leading to improved crop yields and reduced costs.

2. Livestock management: AI could be used to analyze data on livestock health and behavior to optimize feeding, breeding, and healthcare, leading to improved animal health and productivity.

3. Weather prediction: AI could be used to analyze data on weather patterns and make predictions about future weather conditions, helping farmers to plan for and respond to potential challenges.

4. Land management: AI could be used to analyze data on soil conditions and crop growth to optimize land use and improve resource efficiency.

Overall, the use of AI in farming and land management has the potential to improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of agriculture.

Comment:  Just as AI will have a great impact on human health, AI will also be very effective at identifying health issues in livestock, and providing early warnings of problems with crops.  And yes of course, AI will improve weather forecasting which will also be a benefit to farmers.

Why Artificial Intelligence investment is so important to future National Security

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact national security. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this context include:

1. Cybersecurity: AI could be used to analyze data on cyber threats and identify patterns that could indicate an attack, allowing for early detection and response. AI could also be used to optimize the deployment of cybersecurity measures and respond to attacks in real-time.

2. Intelligence analysis: AI could be used to analyze large amounts of data from a variety of sources (e.g. satellite imagery, social media) to identify patterns and trends that could be relevant to national security.

3. Predictive analysis: AI could be used to analyze data on potential threats and make predictions about future security risks, helping decision-makers to proactively address potential issues.

4. Autonomous weapons systems: AI could be used to develop autonomous weapons systems that can make decisions about the use of force without human intervention. This technology raises ethical and legal concerns, and its use is controversial.

Overall, the use of AI in national security has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of security efforts, but it also raises a number of ethical and legal issues that need to be carefully considered.

Comment: if you want to know the future of AI in strengthening national security, think about dictatorships, autocratic regimes without free press or judiciary, where leaders can do what they want, imposing their will on nations.  The greatest investments and fastest innovations in AI for national security are taking places in autocratic nations and this will continue.  AI gives systems for monitoring, surveillance and control that every dictator in the past has only dreamed of.

Threat to Privacy and Human Rights from invasive use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact personal privacy. Some examples of how AI could potentially impact personal privacy include:

1. Data collection: AI systems often rely on the collection of large amounts of data, including personal data, to function. This data could potentially be accessed by unauthorized parties, leading to privacy violations.

2. Predictive analytics: AI could be used to analyze data on an individual's behavior and make predictions about their future actions or preferences. This could potentially be used to target individuals with personalized ads or other content, leading to concerns about the manipulation of behavior.

3. Facial recognition: AI-powered facial recognition systems could be used to identify individuals in public spaces, potentially leading to concerns about surveillance and the erosion of personal privacy.

4. Smart home devices: AI-powered smart home devices (e.g. smart speakers, security cameras) could collect data on an individual's behavior and activities in their home, potentially leading to privacy concerns.

Overall, the use of AI has the potential to impact personal privacy in a number of ways. It is important for individuals to be aware of these potential impacts and to take steps to protect their privacy when using AI-powered technologies.

Comment:  see National Security above.

How Artificial Intelligence will be used by military to win wars

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the outcome of wars. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this context include:

1. Intelligence analysis: AI could be used to analyze large amounts of data from a variety of sources (e.g. satellite imagery, social media) to identify patterns and trends that could be relevant to military operations.

2. Predictive analysis: AI could be used to analyze data on potential threats and make predictions about the likelihood and outcomes of different military scenarios, helping decision-makers to plan and prepare for potential conflicts.

3. Autonomous weapons systems: AI could be used to develop autonomous weapons systems that can make decisions about the use of force without human intervention. This technology raises ethical and legal concerns, and its use is controversial.

4. Cybersecurity: AI could be used to analyze data on cyber threats and identify patterns that could indicate an attack, allowing for early detection and response. AI could also be used to optimize the deployment of cybersecurity measures and respond to attacks in real-time.

Overall, the use of AI in military operations has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of those operations, but it also raises a number of ethical and legal issues that need to be carefully considered.

Comment:  1-5 will converge when it comes to autonomous fighting machines, or networks of them. Identifying targets, predicting likely enemy actions, automated attacks, and interfering with similar enemy capabilities through cyberattacks in continuously self-improving systems.  The central issue of course is governance: to whom would such integrated, autonomous fighting groups be accountable? Who would determine their limits of operation? The equivalent of a Geneva Convention for autonomous battles.  Expect such autonomous groups to be vast in future - a single fighting unit could comprise hundreds of small weapon-enabled drones (air and sea), dozens of self-driving land vehicles and automated tanks etc, automated mobile rocket launchers.  Human beings would be limited to servicing, fuelling, reloading - where the machines themselves still need such support.  One step beyond all this of course is the possibility that an entire, integrated, multi-dimensional battalion or mini army could be under entire control of AI itself, taking its own decisions at lightning speed to launch an attack or develop a campaign on the enemy (but who decides what or who the enemy are?).  It would only require some lines of code to alter restraints / permission levels once the automated military groups are in place. At the most basic level it is not hard for example to imagine a world where nuclear weapon systems have been programmed by some autocrat to fire automatically if the AI decides that they are under attack from another nuclear power (no delays for human interference).  It's an example where capabilities already exist to automate, limited only by the intelligence or idiocy of those in power in a particular nation.

How Artificial Intelligence / AI will help our world become more sustainable, saving energy and other resources 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact sustainability. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this context include:

1. Energy efficiency: AI could be used to optimize the use of energy in buildings, transportation systems, and industrial processes, leading to reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Renewable energy: AI could be used to optimize the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid, helping to increase the use of clean energy.

3. Resource management: AI could be used to analyze data on resource consumption and identify opportunities to reduce waste and increase efficiency, leading to more sustainable resource use.

4. Environmental monitoring: AI could be used to analyze data from sensors and satellites to monitor the environment and identify trends or issues that could impact sustainability.

Overall, the use of AI has the potential to improve sustainability in a number of ways, but it is important to consider the potential environmental impacts of AI technologies themselves. For example, the production and use of AI systems requires energy and resources, and the disposal of AI hardware could create environmental issues if not managed properly.

Comment: accurate predictions of future power demand, minute by minute, will be fundamental to a greener world by allowing effective power balancing in most efficient ways.

The impact of Artificial Intelligence on workplace, Human Resources and people management

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the field of human resources (HR). Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this context include:

1. Recruitment: AI could be used to analyze data on job applicants (e.g. resumes, job application forms) to identify candidates who are most likely to be a good fit for a particular role. This could help to streamline the recruitment process and reduce the workload for HR professionals.

2. Employee performance evaluation: AI could be used to analyze data on employee performance (e.g. sales data, customer satisfaction scores) to identify top performers and areas for improvement. This could help HR professionals to identify training needs and make more informed decisions about promotions and pay.

3. Employee engagement: AI could be used to analyze data on employee engagement (e.g. survey responses, attendance records) to identify trends and areas for improvement. This could help HR professionals to identify and address issues that could impact employee satisfaction and retention.

4. Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots could be used to assist employees with HR-related tasks such as submitting leave requests or accessing benefits information.

Overall, the use of AI in HR has the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of HR processes, but it is important to consider the potential impacts on jobs and the need to ensure that AI is used ethically and fairly.

Comment:  AI systems will be able to detect changes in employee mood, workplace morale, levels of trust and wellbeing, much earlier than those at work themselves are aware of.  But the key is this:  will an AI dominated workplace really be a happier and more fulfilling place to be?

How Artificial Intelligence will threaten jobs and increase unemployment

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact unemployment. Some people believe that the increasing use of AI in various industries could lead to job displacement, as AI systems are able to perform tasks more efficiently and accurately than humans in some cases. This could result in some workers losing their jobs or being forced to find new employment.

On the other hand, the adoption of AI could also create new job opportunities in fields such as AI development and maintenance, data analysis, and cybersecurity. Additionally, AI could potentially make certain jobs easier and more efficient, freeing up workers to focus on more complex and higher-value tasks.

Overall, the impact of AI on unemployment is likely to be complex and varied, and will depend on a number of factors including the specific industries and jobs that are impacted, the availability of new job opportunities, and the ability of workers to adapt to new technologies.

Comment: this is absolutely fundamental. The future will be driven by emotion as much as by innovation and we can expect big emotional reactions against what will be perceived by some as destruction of our wellbeing and work by automated systems. Yet this has been a trend since the first steps of industrialisation in the 19th Century.

How Artificial Intelligence / AI could impact job satisfaction for hundreds of millions of people

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact job satisfaction in various ways. Some people may find that the adoption of AI in their workplace makes their job easier and more efficient, leading to increased job satisfaction. For example, AI could automate certain tasks or provide decision support, freeing up workers to focus on more complex and higher-value tasks.

On the other hand, the adoption of AI could also lead to job dissatisfaction for some workers if it results in job displacement or a reduction in the perceived value of their work. Additionally, the use of AI could potentially lead to concerns about job security and the potential for being replaced by machines.

Overall, the impact of AI on job satisfaction is likely to be complex and varied, and will depend on a number of factors including the specific tasks and responsibilities of individual jobs, the level of worker control and autonomy, and the availability of opportunities for learning and advancement.

Impact of AI on the future of the Legal Profession

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly impact the legal industry. Some examples of how AI is being used or could be used in this context include:

1. Legal research: AI-powered systems could analyze large amounts of legal data and provide summaries or recommendations to lawyers, helping to streamline the research process and reduce the time and effort required to prepare cases.

2. Predictive analysis: AI could be used to analyze data on past legal cases and make predictions about the likelihood of success in future cases, helping lawyers to make informed decisions about how to proceed.

3. Document review: AI could be used to analyze large volumes of documents and identify relevant information, helping to streamline the document review process in cases such as mergers and acquisitions.

4. Contract analysis: AI could be used to analyze contracts and identify potential issues or areas for negotiation, helping lawyers to identify potential risks and opportunities.

Overall, the use of AI in the legal industry has the potential to improve the efficiency and accuracy of legal tasks, but it is important to consider the potential impacts on jobs and the need to ensure that AI is used ethically and fairly.

Comment: most lawyers have very little understanding of how far and how fast the legal profession will be disrupted by AI.  Artificial Intelligence systems will learn at astonishing speed about contracts, regulations, legal documents and so on, becoming ever more capable at drafting them, in the light of deep understanding of current legislation etc.  It's already happening.

Summary in the light of all the above

The development of AI / Artificial Intelligence is heading at great speed into unchartered territory with unimaginable consequences for the human race.  

We can expect astonishing breakthroughs in all kinds of areas ranging from health to manufacturing which will improve quality of life.

While governments will seek to regulate and control the use of advanced AI at the national level, what is needed is a global conversation with global agreement about how AI is applied.  

But in a world increasingly dominated by decisions of autocratic leaders of non-democratic states (or nations where democracy is weak), this is unlikely to be achieved in the next three decades.

As a result, expect gigantic steps to be taken, controlled by very few people, aimed at strengthening their powers at the expense of the general population. Some of the most rapid AI innovations will happen in times of war, when many ethical decisions will be tossed aside in a race for victory.

Join the Debate! What are your own views?

* Your name
* Email address (will not appear or be used)

Send me emails of replies to my comment?

 

1