Imagining the Future of Work

In the past decade, there has been a raging debate on the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. In simple terms, these are machines, robots and computers that are able to learn on their own as they are fed data, and can develop and integrate their own ways of making sense of input and solving problems independently of the human programmers. Given its limitless capacity to absorb, interpret and manipulate data, the learning capacity of AI outpaces human learning by a factor of one-to-infinity, thus raising the possibility that AI would at some point have a mind of its own beyond human control. Added to this is the reality that AI can outlive humans; it can potentially live forever barring any terrible accident, malfunction or intervening force of nature.

The cover image of the publication, The Future of Work: Regional Perspectives, raises important questions. Although constant exposure to futuristic sci-fi movies has dulled what would have been our automatic response to such imagery, the rise of AI is now beyond sci-fi. It is in our face.

Meet Sophia, the world’s first AI humanoid robot which has the capacity to learn and simulate human emotions.

Sophia was introduced to the United Nations in October 2017 in a session tagged “The Future of Everything”. Sophia’s creator and CEO of Hanson Robotics, Dr. David Hanson, earlier stated that the robots—which are designed to serve in virtually every industry—will get smarter over time, become almost indistinguishable from humans, and become as conscious, creative and capable as any human. Same month after the UN meeting, Sophia the robot was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is already planning a city where robots are expected to outnumber people. In fact, the unchallenged goal of AI development is to reach a “point of singularity” where robots will take over all known tasks and jobs that humans do because AI can do them more efficiently and more effectively, and to integrate AI into all aspects of human life and into our body systems. This is not fiction.

Sophia is by and large a beautifully designed robot and an incomplete experiment—promising yet nonhuman—and she has already bagged citizenship! Beyond symbolic gestures, does this mean that self-driving cars, satellites, drones, androids, humanoids and other nonhuman inventions may also become citizens of some countries in the near future and therefore enjoy equal status with humans under the law? One may argue that humans create AI; therefore humans can pull the plug on AI anytime. However, there are many unknowns, many assumptions and many moving parts in that line of argument. It is simply not an equation. We cannot always assume a balance between power and responsibility; we have to be the balance.

The story of Sophia and her brothers and sisters raises important moral, ethical and existential questions which we all must address. Hopefully, we will have the courage to answer these questions:

● Is AI really “The Future of Everything” or should we imagine alternative futures?

● Are we on the right track in terms of rapid and uninhibited development of AI?

● What is the link between AI and 5G technology, if any?

● Who controls the “AI mind cloud” which is like a shared brain by a family of AI robots around the world which can simultaneously receive a command to act in a certain way?

● How can we enjoy the good side of AI without the pitfalls of its bad side?

● Should there be a red line beyond which we should discontinue AI development or should we assume that the rise of AI over humans is inevitable?

● Where do we draw the red line in AI-human integration?

● Who is responsible for drawing the line and what should the parameters be?

● How do we enforce such red line in the face of insatiable profit motive and human curiosity to explore the limits of possibility?

● Why is there yet no clear regulation or attempt to regulate AI and machine learning at the national or global level?

Africa may be the last frontier for disruptive technologies due to a slower rate of adoption of new technologies and internet penetration. The continent is still grappling with exponential population growth, outdated education system, massive youth unemployment, income inequalities, poverty and other social problems. Differences in economic power, demographic dynamics, cultural realities and education levels may influence the way AI affects the development of each country and our continent, but we must be part of the global debate and decision making because whatever affects the world affects Africa.

We must answer these questions for ourselves. Are we ready for the “good side” and the “bad side” of AI, machine learning, super technology and superintelligence? Can we reap the benefits of AI to transform our economy and our lives and at the same time minimize its potential risks and dangers?

EduTrust Foundation Series, May 2020

#FutureWork #FutureEducation #Education #Work #Jobs #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning #SDG4 #SDG8 #Africa #MindShift #EduTrustFoundation

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Cover image: African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Development Bank for Reconstruction, and Inter-American Development Bank (2018), The Future of Work: Regional Perspectives.

Further Reading

African Centre for Economic Transformation. The Future of Work in Africa: Implications for Secondary Education and TVET Systems, Background Paper. December 2018

African Development Bank, et al. The Future of Work: Regional Perspectives. 2018

MIT. The Work of the Future: Shaping Technology and Institutions, MIT Work of The Future. Fall 2019

UNESCO. Futures of Education: Learning to Become, Brochure. 2019

United Nations. Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, A/RES/70/1. 2015

World Bank Group. The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All, Advance Edition. July 2019

World Economic Forum. The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa: Preparing the Region for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Executive Briefing. May 2017

World Economic Forum. The Future of Jobs Report 2018, Insight Report. 2018