Watch leading thinkers debate the risks and rewards of AI
Jaron Lanier and Martine Rothblatt address our darkest AI fears.
The advent of artificial intelligence is as dreaded as it is lauded. Proponents believe it's a technological advancement that will augment humans in unprecedented ways -- think immortality and super-intelligence. But the critics often point out the dangerous repercussions of this revolution -- autonomous weapon systems and self aware bots. Should we brace ourselves for a robotic apocalypse? Is that idea based on science fiction or reality? Does the fear of AI slow down the progress of a technology that could amplify human existence? Tune in for a riveting debate -- "Don't trust the promise of artificial intelligence."
The debate brought together some of the most prominent voices on both sides of the AI debate. Jaron Lanier, renowned computer scientist, virtual reality pioneer and author of bestsellers Who Owns the Future? and You Are Not a Gadget highlighted the problems with AI, along with Andrew Keen, author of The Internet is Not the Answer.
Martine Rothblatt, founder of United Therapeutics and Sirius Radio, who is a proponent of technological immortality and the creator of BINA48, a "sentient humanoid" modeled after her wife, focused on the benefits of AI. As did James Hughes, executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future.
The event was organized by Intelligence Squared U.S. Debated, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that has hosted over 100 debates with leading thinkers and creators. The discussion, moderated by ABC News correspondent John Donvan, was co-presented by 92Y, a center for arts and innovation in New York City since 1874.
