Oct 28, 2022
Futurist and entreprenuer Jerry Kaplan visits Google to discuss his
book “Humans Need Not Apply: A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age
of Artificial Intelligence”.
The common wisdom about Artificial Intelligence is that we are
building increasingly intelligent machines that will ultimately
surpass human capabilities and steal our jobs, or possibly even
escape human control and take over the world. This narrative is
both misguided and counterproductive. A more appropriate
framing–better supported by actual events and current trends—is
that AI is simply a natural expansion of longstanding human efforts
to automate tasks, dating back at least to the start of the
industrial revolution.
Stripping the field of its apocalyptic gloss makes it easier to
predict the likely benefits and pitfalls of this important
technology. AI has the potential to usher in a new age of affluence
and leisure, but it’s likely to shake up labor markets and increase
inequality unless we forcefully address these pressing societal
problems. The robots are certainly coming, but whether they will
benefit society as a whole or serve the needs of the few is still
very much up in the air. Join futurist Jerry Kaplan for an
unorthodox tour of the history of Artificial Intelligence, learn
why it is so misunderstood, and what we can do to ensure that the
engines of progress don’t motor on without us.
Originally published in November of 2015.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.