The future is here
Regina Barzilay, faculty lead for artificial intelligence (AI) at the MIT Jameel Clinic, speaks on the pervasiveness of AI already present in our daily lives, noting, “There is a lot of AI in various industries that we just don’t even see. They are just part of the technology we are provided with.” As the global community raises serious moral and legislative questions around existing and future AI technologies, Regina and other experts weigh in on AI's current applications and limitations, and what is expected and required of its potential ahead.
In the opening scenes of Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio,” Geppetto, a lonely woodcarver, puts the finishing touches on the eponymous marionette puppet, wishing that it might — he might — come to life.
Geppetto’s wish is granted, and chaos ensues. Despite a wise cricket standing in as an acting guide to better consciousness, Pinocchio learns as he goes, often going the way of danger and trouble. Man and puppet are reunited in the belly of a monster, tasked with saving themselves — and, perhaps, one other — in a quest to become “real.”
As artificial intelligence becomes more present in our lives, have we found ourselves in the belly of a monster? Or are we still at the part of the story where we marvel at our handiwork and fall asleep wishing for more?