Scott Rodie, Global head of TMT, BDO : "The question of paramount importance today is how we can control artificial intelligence"
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution".
(Albert Einstein)
Physician Albert Einstein did not know that only a few decades later, "the tables would turn" and society would give knowledge an almost godlike attribute. Scott Rudi, Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Division at the accounting and consulting firm BDO Ziv Haft, believes that the tremendous progress achieved in the development of digital technologies has led us to the gateway of a "fourth industrial revolution".
"Billions of people across the world are connected through their cellular phones and enjoy free access to information. Diverse technologies such as the internet, three dimensional printing, nano-technology and computer power have assisted us in advancing towards the next revolution, and Israeli culture supports such advancement", adds Rudi, who attended today (Tuesday), the Marker's Technovation 2017 Conference. Openness combined with natural suspicion and the boldness to ask questions, turns Israel into a place where innovation can develop without interruption."
In his lecture, Rudi focused on the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past 50 years, this field has made impressive progress, and will continue to do so in ways that influence our thinking ability, helping us to tackle the challenges facing society today", he explained. However, according to Rudi, "the question of paramount importance at present is how we can control artificial intelligence. Considerable efforts are currently being made in comprehending this technology and in developing moral criteria such that AI will be put to good use."
"This technology should strengthen rather than weaken us. Andrew Neg, stated that we must recruit AI in order to improve our lives. Indeed, the way forward is through cooperation between computer and man. Such combination has a history of success because it enhances the abilities of the human mind. However, the computer is not a substitute for the human mind, as former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov can affirm. In 1966, Kasparov sat down for a game in front of a "mind" – a computer monitor - the product of 7 years development at IBM's laboratories."
The "deep blue" computer was developed so as to compete in a game requiring high intellectual skills, and its manufacturers did not deny the fact that wisdom is not the strong side of deep blue. "Intuition has no formula", they were not shy to admit. While the planners attempted to build a computer that might copy human intelligence, they realized that "whereas deep blue indeed resolves chess problems with amazing efficiency, its intelligence is inferior to the most stupid person."
Rudi agrees: "We need to be clever in a collective manner, because the challenges are great and the solutions still lie ahead. There are more than 7 billion living humans on earth, who have become mutually connected and dependent. Like our ancestors, we too are striding along the path together. We must develop further mechanisms and improve our intellectual abilities in order to achieve good results in future and define the role of artificial intelligence in shaping this future."
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