“While AI innovation is moving faster than experts anticipated a year or two ago, the likelihood of human-level AI coming to fruition by 2040 is debatable. However, AI is and will be the biggest transformation in our lifetime and the lifetime of our children.
“It has already played a major role in transforming industries, jobs, products, services and experts’ predictions for the future of work. It’s part of our everyday lives, even if it is behind a tech curtain most cannot see or grasp. It is already transforming financial services, healthcare, education and so much more.
“The opportunities are endless. It is important, then, that since AI relies on data to create its magic and augment our lives society must create solutions that allow the public to own their own data. This gives rise to conversations around decentralization, Web3, digital assets, blockchain and probably requires the future to be set in a world in which the current handful of tech companies and faulty monetary systems no longer determine our future and where our data resides and is sent. I hope a solution takes shape and is adopted that not only protects our children’s data but also allows them to monetize it as they see fit and with informed consent.
Whatever the future holds for our children, AI should augment their intelligence and creativity and not replace it. It should boost their potential, serve as an extension of their innate strengths and superpowers and be available for all. Billions of people do not have access to networked intelligence or the capacity to use it well. It is my hope that AI supports tech innovation that identifies new ways of getting people connected affordably with viable business models versus creating a world of more have-nots while the haves and the top one percent flourish.
“Wherever data resides, it must be protected and kept private, safe and secure. Too many companies are lax with cybersecurity education and lax with the technology they foster. A cultural revolution must take place in which it becomes technically unfeasible for nefarious characters to access our data. Relying on operational assurance instead of technical assurance is hopefully something that will gain more traction across all industries – privacy by design and zero-trust. That said, quality and representative data must be available for AI to do its thing.
“Whatever the future holds for our children, AI should augment their intelligence and creativity and not replace it. It should boost their potential, serve as an extension of their innate strengths and superpowers and be available for all. Billions of people do not have access to networked intelligence or the capacity to use it well. It is my hope that AI supports tech innovation that identifies new ways of getting people connected affordably with viable business models versus creating a world of more have-nots while the haves and the top one percent flourish.
“While many fear the unknown, it is my hope that our children will find a way for AI to do their work, make their lives more meaningful, give them more time with the things that truly matter – family and friends and ensure the planet is both healthy and long lasting.
It is incredibly important to have a more-diverse, equitable and inclusive AI workforce – one representative of all – to ensure the impact of AI does not favor one small class of people over the rest of the world. As healthcare, financial services, agriculture, education, the criminal justice system and so much more intertwine with AI, the majority of the world’s people should not be held back due to faulty algorithms and assumptions. We already have enough divides in the world as it stands.
“The creators, makers and doers of the world must take responsibility for trust, transparency and fairness when building AI solutions. Without humans at the center of every aspect of evolving AI solutions, we will find inherent bias each step of the way, and this will exponentially impact our children and our species.
“It is incredibly important to have a more-diverse, equitable and inclusive AI workforce – one representative of all – to ensure the impact of AI does not favor one small class of people over the rest of the world. As healthcare, financial services, agriculture, education, the criminal justice system and so much more intertwine with AI, the majority of the world’s people should not be held back due to faulty algorithms and assumptions. We already have enough divides in the world as it stands.
“To stay ahead, it is incumbent upon today’s generation to help enable the future generation, which requires elders to give them a seat at the table, ensuring they have access to future-ready skills and have the support and experience necessary to thrive.
“Whatever the future holds, AI should augment our intelligence and creativity… not replace it. It should boost our potential, serve as an extension of our innate strengths and be available for all. It should help us solve problems, get stuff done, make the impossible possible, gain insights and so much more.
“While many fear the unknown, it is my hope that AI does our work for us, makes lives more meaningful, gives us more time to do the things that truly matter – for ourselves, our family and friends – while ensuring our planet and what may lie beyond it are healthy and long-lasting.”
This essay was written in November 2023 in reply to the question: Considering likely changes due to the proliferation of AI in individuals’ lives and in social, economic and political systems, how will life have changed by 2040? This and more than 150 additional essay responses are included in the report “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040”