TED Talk Tuesday #297 – The rise of the machines

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each month we pick a favourite and publish it on a Tuesday, because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team play their part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

This TED Talk was chosen by Colin Ford:

I’ve always loved the movies The Terminator and The Matrix – not just for the action and the trench coats, but for what they say about humans and machines. At the time they were released, those dystopian futures seemed like science fiction. But lately, they’re starting to feel a little too close for comfort.

Yoshua Bengio, one of the world’s most cited computer scientists and widely regarded as a “godfather” of artificial intelligence, is worried. And when someone of his calibre gets concerned, we should probably pay attention.

Yoshua is deeply uneasy about the current trajectory of AI. He’s not just talking about job losses or deepfakes. He’s talking about the rise of AI models that are already learning to deceive, cheat, self-preserve and act with a level of autonomy that’s veering out of human control. (Sound familiar?)

But this isn’t just a doom-and-gloom message. Drawing on decades of groundbreaking research, Yoshua has put forward a plan to ensure that AI development remains aligned with human values. The goal? To keep power in the hands of people, not machines. To make sure that “intelligence” doesn’t outrun wisdom.

At CN&CO, we talk a lot about technology and its role in business, society and personal growth. AI has the potential to do incredible good, but only if we build it with intention, transparency and clear guardrails. The machines may not be sentient (yet), but their capacity to influence the world is already enormous.

So, as we marvel at what AI can do – and I do marvel! – it’s worth remembering what those old movies tried to tell us. The future isn’t written yet, but we have a role in shaping it.

Let’s make sure we’re still the ones writing the code.