AI SPECIAL
While artificial intelligence has the potential to bring about massive positive changes in society, the emergence of powerful and complex algorithms is not without its drawbacks. Here, Matthew Gooding talks to four experts to discuss the challenges facing those working in this field
ambridge is awash with artificial intelligence companies. Barely a week goes by without a start-up announcing it will use machine learning to revolutionise a hitherto untouched area of our lives. But while entrepreneurs and investors have rushed to embrace the potential of machine learning, with over £800m of funding received by British AI businesses in the first six months of 2019 alone, consumers are not so sure. Research from the Edelman Centre of AI Expertise, commissioned earlier this year in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, found that 54% of the general public believe AI
development will hurt the poor, while 71% are concerned it will lead to a loss of human intelligence. Meanwhile, 60% of those polled feel greater regulation is critical to AI’s continued safe development. Like many emerging technologies, AI faces a battle to convince people that its benefits outweigh its drawbacks, and the depictions of powerful and rogue AIs often found in popular culture add another level of confusion. Here, four leading lights from the Cambridge AI scene tell Cambridge Catalyst about some of the misconceptions and challenges facing their industries.
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ISSUE 04
cambridgecatalyst.co.uk
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