The Dispute Over Artificial Intelligence

[dropcap letter="C"]

When a machine imitates cognitive functions typical of human beings, such as learning and problem-solving, we speak of artificial intelligence (AI). The awakening of machines or knowing if we are prepared for them to become conscious are just some of the headlines we have recently seen in the media. As was very well stated in the article "Is artificial intelligence set to become conscious?", published on the World Economic Forum website, some of the questions have to do with technology, but others focus more on what consciousness really is. Therefore, it seems that what we believe to be science fiction is beginning to be palpable, and now we must coordinate many actors to make it truly real and effective. First, we need committed governments that facilitate favorable environments with powerful infrastructures and that, at the same time, involve universities, R&D centers, and companies. Knowledge and market to promote advances in the development of the artificial intelligence industry.

China has already taken a first step. Last summer, it presented a three-year strategic action plan to become a global technological power in AI by 2030 with the goal of building a national industry worth almost 150 billion dollars.

To be more competitive, to be more efficient, the sum of the human factor and technology is needed.

In the academic field, a study conducted by the legal platform LawGeex, Comparing the Performance of Artificial Intelligence to Human Lawyers in the Review of Standard Business Contracts, in which legal experts from several prestigious American universities are involved, pitted 20 lawyers with proven experience against an algorithm developed over three years and trained to evaluate legal contracts. They were given four hours to review five non-disclosure agreements and identify 30 legal issues. The results? The lawyers required an average of 92 minutes to review the documents and the LawGeex algorithm, 26 seconds. The conclusions of this experiment are unanimous: to be more competitive, to be more efficient, the sum of the human factor and technology is needed. On the one hand, we will be able to have automated processes more quickly and less expensively and, on the other hand, free up lawyers' time to be able to get involved in higher-value tasks such as legal advice.

Large companies, mostly technological, aware of the advantages that AI and machine learning incorporate into their products and services, have begun to compete to acquire the best startups in the field

Google has already clearly positioned itself to launch a platform,Learn with Google AI, with tutorials that should serve ashubof resources. It is a place aimed at all involved profiles, from the newest students to researchers anddata scientists.

It is for this reason that it is not surprising that it is also Google who leads the acquisitions of technological startups in this field with a portfolio of thirteen companies (Deepmind, Moodstocks, Api.ai, AiMatter, Halli Labs, Kifi, Granata Decision Systems, Jetpac, Boston Dynamics, Meka Robotics, Industrial Perception, Schaft and DNN Research). After Google, considering both the number of successes and investments, are Startx, Apple, and Microsoft. In many of the cases, the amount of these operations has not been disclosed.

In Europe, the data, analysis, and investment platform for technology companies and venture capital, Dealroom.co, has published the Annual European Venture Capital Report, highlighting that in 2017 more than 19 billion euros were invested in European startups and record figures were surpassed. This analysis shows that deep tech leads these investments, followed by fintech, healthcare, marketplace, and artificial intelligence.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN BARCELONA

Barcelona recently hosted the Mobile World Congress, where artificial intelligence played a prominent role in this edition. The Mobile offered corporations and startups the best showcase to display the latest advances, an experience that was more practical than theoretical.

Telefónica took the opportunity to present Aura, its cognitive intelligence platform and a new tool to connect with its customers. In the presentation session, José María Álvarez-Pallete, president of Telefónica, and Chema Alonso, chief data officer (CDO), explained that, in the last five years, the company had invested 48 billion euros in its three platforms (physical assets, IT systems, and products and services) and presented the brain of the fourth: AURA.

«Our customers want to talk to technology and do things in real time». Aura allows it, Alonso affirmed. Aura listens, learns, and allows you to interact by only talking to the network to get the most out of what they call your personal data space. Chema Alonso, through a live demo, interacted with Aura using Microsoft HoloLens and, later, directly with his smartphone. Aura, in short, allows you to manage the digital experience through cognitive intelligence.

From another perspective, Amazon announced last year the upcoming opening of a new research and development center (R&D) based on machine learning in Barcelona, where it expects to hire more than one hundred engineers and scientists when it opens in 2018.

Barcelona is no stranger to this industry and the directory of emerging companies of the Barcelona & Catalonia Startup Hub, led by ACCIÓ, is beginning to incorporate projects linked to artificial intelligence and machine learning. The platform currently has information on 1,230 startups, 58 of which are cataloged as artificial intelligence.

It is necessary to highlight that the target of these companies is, mostly, Business to Business and approximately 10% —Kernel Analytics, Squirro, Gestoos, Nektria, Rocketroi, Transmural Biotech and Restb— have received an investment exceeding one million euros.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE?

“To think that new technologies will ruin the economy is at least as old as the Industrial Revolution,” said Seth Benzell last week when speaking to the audience at the American embassy in Barcelona. Seth Benzell holds a PhD in economics from Boston University and is a postdoctoral associate at MIT’s initiative on digital economy.

Artificial intelligence will change the nature of the employment relationship: people will be hired to solve problems, but lifelong jobs are destined to disappear

The strength of his argument opens a debate beyond the opportunities that artificial intelligence will offer us. How will we overcome the conflict of interestthat there will be for workers who have to implement projects that in turn can destroy their jobs? It will be necessary to rethink the added value of thehuman componentThere is no doubt that artificial intelligence will make us interact with technology in a different way.

These reflections are especially relevant for the labor market. Artificial intelligence will change the nature of the employment relationship: people will be hired to solve problems, but lifelong jobs are destined to disappear.

Benzell, in his conclusions, suggests that, in the not-too-distant future, there will be two, seemingly unrelated, areas of significant job growth: one for people with technical knowledge to implement and manage new technologies, and another for people with interpersonal and humanistic skills that cannot be automated.