Technology has transformed HVAC, that is made abundantly clear with each new product release that crosses my desk.
Today’s air conditioners don’t just heat and cool they are more like ‘climate assistants’ undertaking a range of impressive tasks, from self-cleaning to monitoring the habits of a household and responding accordingly.
Just check out this month’s commercial air conditioning feature, which showcases a range of product innovations and case studies.
Engineering creates a better world, but current debate surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) is tapping into all our fears. Worst of all, the warnings are coming from the very people that are creating AI.
A non-profit organisation known as the Centre for AI Safety released a statement last month warning that AI poses an existential threat to humanity, and should be considered a societal risk on par with pandemics and nuclear wars.
The open letter was signed by more than 350 executives, researchers and engineers working in AI.
Earlier this year, more than 1000 technologists and researchers called for a six-month pause on the development of the largest AI models, citing concerns about “an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds”.
That letter, which was organised by another AI-focused non-profit, the Future of Life Institute, was signed by Elon Musk and other well-known tech leaders.
They want governments to regulate the technology before it is too late.
The CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, warned there was very little room for error.
“I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong. We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening,” he said.
It is clearly time to act. The right regulations will allow us to unleash the benefits of AI beyond simply using it in applications like Siri and Alexa.
Forget climate assistants, the new world of AI is one where we won’t make mistakes or be forgetful. Our AI-assisted life could be seamless.
That’s because unlike humans, AI doesn’t forget, and decisions can be made so much faster. Plus, these decisions will be better informed (AI can extract data incredibly fast). Think of Google on steroids!
Best of all, AI doesn’t suffer from sugar crashes or need a caffeine pick-me-up to get through the 3pm slump. As long as the power is turned on, our AI-assisted buddy will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Think of how dependent we have become on our computers. I’m guessing we will be even worse with our AI-assisted buddy aka brain that never forgets.
Could we be entering the age of perfection or self destruction? Send emails to sandrarossi@yaffa.com.au