Memex Poland 2022 first conference panel
In our recent posts, you can read the summaries and watch videos of every presentation from the Memex Poland 2022 conference. However, these wouldn’t be complete without masterful panel discussions moderated by DAC.digital’s CTO, Krzysztof Radecki. The panel covered various topics in our guests’ presentations and added context and insights, including AI and human experience, allowing the audience to ask questions.
The first panel revolved around AI. The term artificial intelligence has been brought up multiple times. Experienced AI researchers and experts, including Mateusz Bonecki (PhD), Florian Passlick and Michael Schießl, shared their insights on artificial intelligence capabilities and the future.
At the end of this summary, you can watch the video recording of the panel.
Artificial intelligence and concepts of justice, injustice and ethics
The first question from the audience addressed the concepts of justice and injustice and how they can be perceived by artificial intelligence. Mateusz Bonecki, PhD rushed to address the doubts and confirmed that contemporary AI is only as good as the data it is trained on. Thus, the AI will also be biased if the data includes bias. Hence, the concepts of justice, injustice and ethics can be only as good and unbiased as the data its been fed.
AI development, machine learning and emotional intelligence
Another essential topic that emerged during the discussion revolved around the emotional intelligence of AI. Although computer science allows even more significant AI development, we’re still within the narrow AI (weak AI) spectrum focusing on problem-solving and performing specific tasks, such as natural language processing.
For AI to develop emotional intelligence, it would have to evolve into artificial general intelligence, which is still out of our reach. Florian Passlick also addressed the critical question of how much we want Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be emotionally intelligent.
He managed the dual nature of AI getting more innovative, as humans perceive it as both impressive and a little scary, especially when we think about how much information about us is circulating on the web.
The dangers involving sentient AI have been brought up multiple times in rather chilling science fiction films. Humanity has asked and attempted to answer multiple questions about strong AI. Our human experts also addressed this reluctance and reassured us that, for now, AI could not go that far.
AI systems still require human intelligence and human experience to prosper
The conference panel talk highlighted on multiple occasions that the human experience and the human mind are necessary for developing AI and related technologies, including machine learning, deep learning and their components, including neural networks.
After all, features like human speech recognition, AI systems, and AI algorithms are often based on machine learning and using neural networks and convolutional neural networks designed after functioning neurons in a human brain. Training virtual assistants and other AI applications or intelligent machines without human intervention is currently impossible, and it will take decades before we get there.
An exciting but yet long way to go
AI has already proved that it can make everyday life easier and more exciting. It can perform tasks commonly regarded as repetitive and tedious. Michael and Florian highlighted how generative AI can contribute to art and entertainment.
Our experts don’t hide the fact that the road to developing more emotionally intelligent AI capable of more than just performing particular tasks will not happen soon. It still vastly relies on human experience, and the programs and systems still require a human touch. Thus, because it’s still being trained on human perception and based on our living experiences, it is not yet free from our natural biases.
It will require more technological advancement and machine learning progress to eliminate the bias and allow the AI to, for example, flawlessly recognise people’s faces, regardless of race and ethnicity. During the panel, our experts shared that although the road to more advanced, general AI is long, we’re giving it a good start, and the journey will undoubtedly be exciting.
Watch the video recording of the panel discussion
It is impossible to encase this valuable discussion in this short summarising post. We cordially invite you to watch the video recording below and listen to our experts. You can also check out other Memex Poland 2022 presentations on our blog to get a deeper insight into the topic and its link to the human experience.
Katarzyna Świątek
Junior Content Specialist at DAC.digital
