HUMANITY
EXPLORING RISK, RESPONSIBILITY, AND POSSIBILITY John Larson and Geoff Schaefer Contributions from Megan Smith-Branch R ecent news cycles have fluctuated between two extremes: the transformative opportunities of AI across industries from scientific discovery to education; or the possibility for existential risk to society and our way of life. In either case, industry analysts project AI investments to grow at near light speed—with global spending projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 27% from 2021 to 2026, according to IDC. China is expected to more than double its annual investments by 2026, while European AI expenditures, roughly 20% of the current world market, are expected to reach $70 billion in the next three years. The train has left the proverbial station, and with AI’s potential for such sweeping, positive impacts, calls for pausing or ceasing its development seem not only untenable but undesirable. Critical industries are seeing the potential to unravel long-puzzling mysteries of physics and predicting potentially far-reaching developments in national defense, infrastructure, precision medicine, and beyond. Ultimately, the future of AI as a transformative partner demands a return to an ancient question from classical philosophy: What can we do to flourish?
The Age of Principled AI
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