A very interesting article by Greg Satell on Forbes. Artificial intelligence like IBM Watson is coming out of the shadows, as he writes, and we need to position human work and intelligence with, not against artificial intelligence. What do you think?
The economic potential of machines that can perform human tasks is staggering. …
The Social Challenge
The obvious question that all of this raises is, if computers are doing the work of humans, what are all the people going to do? We work, after all, not just for bread, but for dignity and purpose. The automation of labor is nothing less than the great social dilemma of our generation. …
Yet research shows that even more important than having the right skills for the right problem is the ability to apply a diversity of approaches. In a complex world, there is no ultimate wisdom. The more paths that are travelled, the greater the likelihood that we will come up with the best answer to a difficult problem.
Manoj Saxena, who runs IBM’s Watson Program, told me that they have taken exactly that approach to cognitive computing. Watson is not one computer, but a wide array of systems that each apply different methods, such as Bayesian nets, Markov chains and genetic algorithms. Watson reconciles the various results before it gives an answer.
And therein lies the way forward. The future does not belong to an ultimate form of intelligence, but the ultimate mix of skills. …
From The Information Economy to The Age Of Connection
… So it shouldn’t be surprising that computers are taking over what we have come to regard as high-level human tasks. We did not evolve to optimize, but to survive and, perhaps most of all, to collaborate with others to ensure our survival. We are, after all, creatures of biology, not silicon. …
So the answer to our technological dilemma is, in fact, all too human. While the past favored those who could retain and process information efficiently, the future belongs to those who can imagine a better world and work with others to make it happen.
via Why The Future Of Technology Is All Too Human – Forbes.
Filed under: English Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, IBMWatson
