The have bots

Like an ever-lengthening shadow or – perhaps – an increasing level of enlightenment, AI is here!

Our job, if we still have one, is to unravel what it is, why it is and, gulp, who (if anyone) it is! While we reflect on civilisation’s future, let’s look in the rear-view mirror of the driverless car for some reassurance.

Presumably, when Neolithic man first emerged from the cave wanting more than just fur and grunts, or when one age morphed into another – ice, iron, bronze, plastic whatever, there was a degree of anxiety, maybe even panic.

I can’t say for sure, because I wasn’t there, but when seismic change comes along there inevitably be varying degrees of curiosity, joy and fear. What makes AI noteworthy, I suppose, is how it disturbs even the pioneers of its growth. We hear that a few of the AI ‘gods’ are already locked in their bunkers.

When Isambard Kingdom Brunel ignited the industrial revolution, building bridges to link communities and, in doing so, creating the template for capitalism, were there moments of doubt? Had it got too big? Was it a force for good? Wrestling with these moral conundrums is natural but so is ‘progress’.

As it is, we are on the precipice of discombobulating change but, as an industry, the possibilities are astonishing and mind-boggling. Drug development, clinical trials, diagnosis and scientific wizardry are just a few of the areas that can warmly embrace the infinitesimal precision of AI. It’s exciting and, yes, a bit scary.

Hold onto your hats and enjoy the magazine