Page 19 - CSA Speaker Bulletin December 2017

Page 19 - CSA Speaker Bulletin December 2017 | CSA Celebrity Speakers

P. 19

It has recently become a with technology and how “Man Becomes God” and I
hot topic in the media to “dataism” may become the new suggested that eventually humans
speculate about the future mass religion of the future. Yuval will merge with super-strong
of humankind in the light thinks it likely that humans artificial intelligence to form a
of predicted increases in the will come to value data and new, non-biological successor
power of artificial intelligence. the organisation of data as our species which will then head out to
Social media, quality newspapers primary goal and humankind’s colonise the universe.
and thoughtful magazines are greatest achievement.
regularly carrying interviews I still think this is the logical
with well-known experts who But worrying about whether clever outcome of our human desire
warn about the coming perils of machines will ultimately become to innovate and create new
strong artificial intelligence and our successor species isn’t a new technology. But it’s not going
how it may endanger the future topic. Futurists and science fiction to happen anytime soon. Even
of humankind. Those voicing writers have grappled with the today’s most powerful artificial
public concern about this issue idea for well over a century and intelligence is still astonishingly
recently include Professor Stephen I first started thinking about this stupid when assessed on the
Hawking, Elon Musk and Bill Gates. possibility back in the mid-1960s. standards of “general intelligence”
and it will be another few decades
And the Israeli historian Noah In my 1986 book The Modern before we will approach the point
Yuval Harari has captured the Frankenstein I suggested that at which AI becomes as capable
zeitgeist perfectly with his two through the developments of of problem solving as humans. Of
best-selling books Sapiens artificial intelligence and genetic course, after that point, all bets
and Homo Deus. These two engineering humans are gaining are off.
wonderfully written polemics powers that might be considered
examine humankind’s relationship god-like. I titled my final chapter

Ray Hammond’s article above godlike technologies such as Prof. Harari regularly lectures
about AI and the future of artificial intelligence and genetic around the world on the topics
humankind is also highlighted by engineering. explored in his books and articles,
Yuval Harari’s work about future and has written for newspapers
history and philosophy. Prof. He asks what will happen to such as the Guardian, Financial
Yuval Noah Harari is the author of democracy when Google and Times, The Times and the Wall
international bestsellers Sapiens: Facebook come to know our likes Street Journal.
A Brief History of Humankind and and our political preferences
Homo Deus: A Brief History of better than we know them
Tomorrow. ourselves. What will happen to
the welfare state when computers
In his critically acclaimed book push humans out of the job
Homo Deus, Harari examines market and create a massive new
the big future projects facing “useless class”? How might Islam
humanity in the 21st century and handle genetic engineering? Will
examines what might happen Silicon Valley end up producing
to the world when these old new religions, rather than just
myths are coupled with new novel gadgets?

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