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Rethinking our future, with Augmented Intelligence

    Guest speaker: Enrico Cereda
    • Milan
    • 12 June 2018

          This meeting and debate session kicked off with observation that the debate over the impacts of cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence, on the business and professional world, and, indirectly, on educational and social systems, has become a pressing one. The new prospects that they open up also call for reflection on the part of intellectuals and politicians, who have typically shown no inclination towards certain subject matters that, in the past, were the preserve of highly-specialized and circumscribed niches in tech circles and, to some extent, in academia.

          It was noted that although the issue of artificial intelligence is nothing new, given that its roots stretch back to the 1950s, the hold-ups encountered by this technology between the 1970s and the 1980s, and between the late 1990s and the early 2000s, have – in the face of very high expectations – been a constant source of disillusionment. This state of uncertainty has done little to facilitate the emergence of a clear and far-sighted vision of the ever closer relationship between man and machine.

          The declared interest of industry is to focus increasingly on humans and to consider machines as an aid to augmenting the capacity of individuals, so as, for instance,  to enable them to read millions of disjointed documents within a few seconds and identify correlations between them. It was felt, however, that the convergence and speed of technological innovation will result in the total substitution not only of mechanical work, but also of highly repeatable intellectual tasks. Some studies estimate that 20-30% of current jobs will cease to exist within the next 30 months. An impact this game-changing, and above all, no longer considered a possible future scenario but as one already unfolding, has refocused the debate onto two aspects that are set to shape society over the coming years: the first concerns the “skills gap” and the role of the education system and private enterprise in addressing it, while the second relates to the outlook for welfare at a time of a crisis in capitalism that has characterized the economy for the last 50 years.

          It was highlighted that in the face of a rapidly evolving scenario, Italian schools and universities seem unable to adapt promptly, remaining bogged down in educational programs that are antiquated or in any case fall short of current standards – a characteristic that applies equally to science subjects as it does to courses that are more strictly speaking humanities-based. Given this inaction, private companies are putting in place continuing education initiatives for their staff, both for new employees and for those whose knowledge is no longer up to scratch. Nevertheless, it was seen justifiable to question whether and for how long private companies can and should have to stand in for those state institutions whose remit it is to train the workforce of the future.

          The other question deemed key was that of how to reduce inequality and poverty in society, while at the same time not denigrating or debasing the nobility of labor. In this regard, adopting a citizen’s income model, reducing working hours, and rehabilitating the concept of profit into non-profit or “social” profit were held up as just some of the options that could feasibly be implemented.

          In conclusion, it was stressed that the debate has only just begun. There are many possible scenarios that could be played out, including that of being “dragged along” by the speed of change. It is thus crucial to map out an approach and define the associated resources and objectives, so as to affirm Italy’s ability to manage this major transformation.

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