دادار

The world is going through a period of major uncertainty not just due to the new geopolitical dynamic but also the fast pace of technology advancement. If anything has brought us together, it is our feeling of vulnerability about the present and uncertainty about the future. From the earliest days, we have been driven to advance our knowledge and capabilities through new technologies, from the fire to electricity, from space exploration to nuclear energy. With each major scientific advancement, however, comes a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability, apprehension and fear. The history of human innovation is one of both wonder and fear.

During my visit to the National Gallery in London last month, I spent some time pondering the cover painting by Joseph Wright of Derby: Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.

A Lecturer demonstrates the creation of a vacuum to a family under both candlelight and moonlight. A precious cockatoo is imprisoned in a glass flask from which the air is being extracted by a pump. As the air is withdrawn, the vacuum mutes its song and renders its wings useless. The bird will suffocate without air, but the experimenter may spare the bird's life if he acts in time. A seated figure at left holds a watch and tentatively observes the experiment with probably his son. The scientific men's dispassion is contrasted with the emotion of the two girls. The older girl can't bear to watch even with his father’s comforting hand. The young couple on the top left were simply ignoring the drama and enjoying their moment together. The scholar on the bottom right seems to be pondering the philosophical question of life vs death, or where the world was going with this new discovery.

Vacuum pump was first invented by German scientist Otto von Guericke in 1650. In 1659, Robert Boyle, largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, commissioned the construction of three of the pumps, and constructed by another early inventor Robert Hooke.

In his book published in 1660, Boyle described in great detail 43 experiments he conducted, some by Hooke, about the effect of air on various phenomena including experiments on living creatures.

By the time Wright painted this painting in 1768, vacuum pumps had became a relatively commonplace scientific instrument. Performers would perform in large gathering for paid audience, or for private showings in homes as was in Wright's painting. Even then, scientific understanding of the role of air and life was not well understood, thus the range of emotions of amusement, fascination, fear, and pondering in the painting.

Boyle is best known for Boyle's law in high school chemistry, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas at constant temperature. Hooke is better known for Hooke's law in high school physics which states that the force needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance is linearly proportional to that distance.

The current debate about Artificial Intelligence follows a very similar pattern. Many reflect a concern that machines will soon replace human beings and make people obsolete, while others focus on the fact that artificial intelligence can enhance human productivity rather than replace human beings. We should be cautious but also excited for the potential of these technologies to improve our lives.

Interestingly, a robot named Sophia said pretty well at a recent press conference as part of the United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit, “AI can provide unbiased data while humans can provide the emotional intelligence and creativity to make the best decisions,” Sophia said. “Together, we can achieve great things.”

Just like other computer technology, AI is going to make some jobs obsolete but never going to replace human. Instead, it is likely going to “create a few new jobs that require sophisticated skills and many jobs that require low-level skills, while it reduces mid-skill jobs.” The current backlash against economic globalization in the United States is largely due to the failure in anticipating and preparing the workforce to deal with the monumental shift from manufacturing to more skilled based workforce requirement in the last three decades. What the society should do with regards to artificial intelligence today is again to focus on how best to prepare the workforce for the future before it become another societal problem.