The head of a newly established top committee for artificial intelligence (AI), noted MIT professor Constantinos Daskalakis, shares his insight about the ongoing debate surrounding the capabilities of computer technology-driven machines and the challenges posed by the rapid advancement of AI.
In an interview with “To Vima,” he refers to the initiatives of the high-level advisory committee for Artificial Intelligence – as it’s officially called – which was announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in October – the prominent academic emphasizes that the aim of committee members is to advise the Greek state on the opportunities and moral implications arising from the use and development of AI technology.
The committee’s focus areas include education, research, innovation, state digitization, healthcare, justice, crisis management and environmental protection, while emphasizing a “holistic approach” to address complex challenges.
Asked whether machines could eventually surpass humans, Daskalakis, 42, an Athens native, first cited the complex nature of the comparison between human and artificial intelligence, while highlighting the ongoing discourse around the world on the existential risks from the rapid development of AI. Daskalakis, who will head the committee, cautions that the true threat lies in potential misuse or manipulation of technology by malicious actors, rather than the emergence of self-aware algorithms opposing humans.
The MIT professor explains that the relationship boundaries between humans and machines may “blur” in the future, while adding that we shouldn’t overestimate the capabilities of technology over humans.
Prof. Daskalakis stresses the necessity of incorporating a stronger emphasis on the interaction between humanities and tech sciences within the education system, indicating that the current disparity is unsuitable in the contemporary landscape.
