Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) be perceived as a tool rather than a threat? 

On March 8th, International House’s signature annual Lodestar Speaker Series was held in the Chevron Auditorium. This year, I-House’s executive director Shaun Carver hosted Eric Schmidt, the former CEO & Chairman of Google and they discussed ‘The Promises and Perils of AI’ in the context of the I-House mission. We had the pleasure of attending this fruitful and compelling event! 

Schmidt is an I-House alumnus, he spent four years in the house from 1976-80 and this is where he met his wife! He shared with us how I-House had inspired him in terms of cultural diversity, encouraged him to engage in deep conversations that foster better understanding between people from different cultures and backgrounds. In particular, he described the interactions between him and his I-House mates in the dining hall to be the most unforgettable moments during his time at I-House. We believe many of the I-House residents can relate to the magic in our dining hall, right?  

I-House was not only a place where he spent his university years at UC Berkeley, but it also brought significant impacts to his later career in Google. He recalled his determination to broaden the scope of talent acquisition of Google by recruiting people from different places of the world. His strong belief in a diverse and inclusive workplace laid the foundation for the success of Google as a global leader in technology infrastructure. ‘We are a better community together’ – he said.  

After fondly recalling his memories at I-House and how it impacted him, the discussion shifted towards the main topic of Artificial Intelligence. The burning question was asked by Carver, are we making the same mistake with AI as we did with social media? Social media has undoubtedly been a significant factor in distorting our understanding of reality, affecting mental health, increasing over-consumption, etc. Schmidt was heavily involved in the debut and start of social media; he explained the original purpose was to positively connect people to each other. They believed there would truly be a ‘net positive benefit’ to the world. Unfortunately, from the introduction of algorithms, no one could predict its development and how interactions will be facilitated further in the future. And by using the power of videos, stirring up anger and other negative emotions has never been easier. Thus, due to lack of information, it seems we are heading in a similar direction with AI. 

However, it’s not all negative. Ultimately, AI has the potential to increase productivity and efficiency in society. Schmidt introduced to us; ways AI could be used to assist and protect humans from possible danger. AI could be used to create defense mechanisms from outside attacks by predicting their next move to protect users’ data and other important online systems. Another example was AI being integrated into healthcare systems to help patients deal with communicating with insurance companies. This aligns with the I-House mission of how we can work together, across different cultures and countries to achieve a more peaceful world.  

In conclusion, Schmidt shared with us his treasured memories at I-House and gave his insights into how the AI industry will impact society globally. We are currently in the beginning stages of interacting with AI and therefore how we adapt to new AI technology now is crucial. Whilst we should be cautious of how AI may be abused; we should also be hopeful of how we could use its possibility to create positive and meaningful change, especially in the global context. 

Written by Marketing and Communication Leads Gilbert Chiu and Suvi Valtonen Kim