The artificial intelligence threatens to transform everything. During the last months, several technological gurus have not hesitated to refer to it as the great technological milestone since the arrival of the iPhone. Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft, even claims that its development is the second great technological revolution that he has witnessed. Right behind the graphical user interface that sparked the birth of Windows.
«The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient themselves around it. Companies will distinguish themselves by how well they use it”, the executive recently stated in a post on his personal blog.
Gates recalls in his publication his first meetings with OpenAI, the startup creator of ChatGPT, in 2016. The speed with which the company managed to solve the challenges proposed by the father of Windows was surprising.
“Once he passed the test, we asked him a non-scientific question: ‘What do you say to a parent with a sick child?’ He wrote a thoughtful response that was probably better than most of us in the room would have given. The whole experience was awesome,” recalls Gates.
The computer scientist, who has been dedicated exclusively to philanthropy for a long time, affirms that he has spent a lot of time thinking about all the good that AI can do for humanity. Especially when it comes to reducing inequality. Specifically, he points out that artificial intelligence you can help save lives in africa and to reduce school failure in subjects such as Mathematics in the United States. He also points out that he is capable of making a difference in the fight against climate change.
“Artificial intelligences can help develop better seeds based on local conditions, advise farmers on the best seeds to plant based on the soil and climate of their area, and help develop medicines and vaccines for livestock. As extreme weather and climate change put even more pressure on subsistence farmers in low-income countries, these gains will become even more important,” Gates said.
artificial super intelligence
Despite hopes, the father of Windows acknowledges that artificial intelligence still has problems to solve. For example, “the strange results” that it sometimes offers to users or its potential in the wrong hands to do evil. He also points to the possible arrival in the future of a ‘super artificial intelligence‘ which may arrive «in a decade or a century».
“It will be able to do everything a human brain can do, but with no practical limits on the size of its memory or the speed at which it operates. This will be a profound change,” says Gates. “What will your goals be? What happens if they conflict with the interests of humanity? Should we try to prevent strong AI from ever developing? These questions will become more pressing over time, ”says the computer scientist.