Is 2024 the Year of the Dragon or 'radical' Robot?

And so 2024 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon; one of ambition, power and greatness. But my question for us and the economy is,

"Will it be a year of the Dragon or a year of the 'radical' Robots?"

For those of us who grew up in the 80s, you'd be familiar with the word radical, or 'rad' as we used to say when someone did an awesome skateboard or 'bmx' trick, but according to the Oxford dictionary, the word radical refers to 'far-reaching', 'extreme progress' and 'affecting the fundamental nature of something'.

With a mega-trend of recent times being the rise of Ai, the 2024 trend is Generative Ai, and so in this post, I have asked leaders this question to provoke thought on the progress of Ai this year. While Ai's true capability will most likely hit its peak in the next 3-to-5 years, in 2024, the way we build these new systems will be radical; this will affect the fundamental nature of more than something, it will affect everything, from business, startups, industry, government, society, community and you, the citizen.

When we ask ChatGPT the question,

What are three biggest risks to society of artificial intelligence?

1. Ethical Concerns: One major risk is the potential for AI systems to be used unethically, leading to issues such as biased decision-making, privacy violations, and unintended consequences.

Funny not funny: imagine we all thinking we're eating salmon or tuna when really we're eating recycled plastic (Hint: we already are ??)

2. Job Displacement: The widespread adoption of AI could result in job displacement, as automation replaces certain roles, impacting employment and potentially contributing to economic inequality.

Funny not funny: (Fact-check, no.1 male job across the world is driver) You thought the taxi drivers were angry when Uber disrupted their survival. Imagine all the truck drivers, uber, taxi drivers and posties erupting in a civilians war against the rest of us ??

3. Security Threats: The increasing integration of AI in critical systems raises concerns about the vulnerability of these systems to cyber attacks, posing potential risks to national security and public safety.

Funny not funny: Imagine foreigners hack our citizens' personal information and mass banking transactions fraud occur to millions of people (Think Federal Government Census, CommBank, Optus X100) ??

Amidst these risks, there is enormous positive potential with advanced healthcare, improved efficiency and productivity, and enhanced decision making. If we have greater productivity and more robust, rapid decision capabilities, the ethical considerations need to be considered. With the equality and fairness gaps still of significant advantage to men and the rich getting richer respectively, and climate change accelerating well beyond the global targets, I'm not sure we have the vast array of capable, ethical leaders to intervene. While interventions in Ai could play out in the future, citizens and anti-consumerism movements like minimalism, off-grid sustainable living and responsible innovation trends might also play a role.

Can the What are the three traits that Chinese zodiac dragon has to outsmart artificial intelligence?

Interestingly in the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon is known for intelligence, wisdom, charisma, strength, and ambition. I'm a dragon, so it is with great optimism I am hoping that this EQ of us humans can more deeply empower our wisdom towards the robots, and also give them some cheeky charisma so that they learn to listen, and listen to learn, and that they see universal unity as their mantra, focusing on solving global challenges and leading with ethical principles.

ChatGPT: "The idea of a zodiac sign having the ability to "outsmart artificial intelligence" is more of a creative and imaginative concept rather than a practical consideration. Nevertheless, if we were to consider three traits often associated with the dragon in Chinese astrology, they might include: Intelligence & wisdom; Courage & ambition; and Adaptability."

May the human interventions ensure the robots adapt towards a more courageous ambition of solving homelessness and housing affordability, climate change, natural disasters & food security, and society well-being and health advancements.

What do the experts think?

Globally certified Chief Innovation Officer and human centred Ai expert, Finbar O'Hanlon is expressed,

"To me, 2024 is the year we will "en masse" witness the dual nature of AI's transformative impact. One nature "The Dragon" reflects the optimistic potential of AI to bring about positive changes and solve major challenges, while the other, the "Radical Robot" represents its disruptive force, highlighting the need for careful governance and ethical considerations. This year, more than ever, we face the critical task of harnessing AI's immense possibilities responsibly, ensuring that it serves humanity's best interests rather than merely driving attention and revenue."

Having studied Ai strategy at MIT-Sloan in 2019, Waz Peel believes,

While I want to be optimistic about the radical robots, I'm skeptical about Google's "no evil" philosophy because if you've seen 'Billion Dollar Code' on Netflix or heard of the unlockd story, then so might you be. With the global tech giants at the forefront like Microsoft's OpenAi play, Google's bard, and governments always a step behind, the adoption of Generative Ai in 2024 will be at a pace that might just be too fast for us humans to keep up. I don't know, "Did Sarah Connor beat the Terminator?"

In a world where giant tech is at the helm, do we trust OpenAi's Sam Altman, Mira Murati et al to redirect the course of Ai, or will it become the force for continued over-consumerism and excessive resources exploitation in a world where we need to adapt?

Human intervention is critical to this next phase of Ai, because it will happen quicker than we think. I am going to remain positive because the Dragon is full of ambition, strength and intelligence, and the Future is Female too. We will hear more from those leading these interventions globally, leaders in Tech for Good or Responsible Innovation as I prefer to call it, the likes of Ai for Good's Kriti Sharma , previous Microsoft Ai chief and arguably Australia's Chief Ai Officer, responsible Ai leader Stela SOLAR , Italy's greatest economist of all time and chief mission officer Mariana Mazzucato and last but not least Australia's Kate Crawford Co-Founder of AI Now Institute at NYU. The futures is which we play into will largely depend on how Ai is intertwined across our world, and I remain hopeful in the Dragon in humans to lead ethical Ai intervention.

As 2024 is going to be a year for more economic uncertainty and seismic shifts in intergenerational unknowns, the pace at which mega trends can unfold will continue to be rapid. How we as humans teach these robots will be a case study in itself, possibly even co-designed and co-led by the humans and robots at some point. The year may well become an us versus them conversation at some point; those in control versus those that don't understand perhaps, but the question I hope we all know by year's end is, "What are the unintended consequences? And how do we build in preventative risk and unconscious/conscious bias into these models?" May we all think, rethink, design, rethink, de-risk, think again, before we build our futures!

Warwick Peel is an decade-long entrepreneur turned employee for a global tech company previously, with a passion for responsible innovation and ethical Ai. Interested in the role of human intervention as Generative Ai takes hold, he is exploring opportunities where he can influence the adoption of responsible innovation and ethical Ai towards sustainable futures. With the exponential capability of emerging tech, how we navigate this will be life changing for humanity. Ping me [email protected] if you'd like to discuss opportunities. Thanks, Waz (My motto: Where there's a Waz, there's a way)