Let’s imagine: What if artificial intelligence (AI) were as invisible and omnipresent as electricity in our homes? What if AI works quietly in the background, helping us be more efficient and maximize our potential? The real progress lies not in making machines more intelligent, but in empowering people to achieve more.
I believe that this is the true promise of AI: the ability to be invisible yet omnipresent, to perform complex analysis and give us exactly the information and recommendations we need. Not to replace us, but to expand and improve us. And I also think we are not striving to create AI that replaces humans, but AI that is capable of expanding and improving human potential.
Let’s imagine a future where we spend less time on trivial tasks and focus on the things that really matter: creative thinking, problem solving, interactions with other people. A future where technology empowers and supports us rather than replacing or controlling us.
Today, using a calculator on our smartphone, the flashlight and voice recognition are practically a given and we don’t realize how complex the ideas behind them once were. Do we think about all the complex calculations that go into it? Hardly.
And let’s remember who came up with the brilliant idea of simply making the flash permanent and thereby removing practically 90% of all flashlights from circulation? No.
We just type in the numbers and get the result. We pull down the menu once and type, and we have the light – Fiat Lux!
The situation is similar with artificial intelligence (AI): practical and soon indispensable in our modern world – still (sometimes) laborious and visible via platforms like ChatGPT, Midjourney and Co, but Soon, like our smartphones, they will be constant companions, helping us organize and improve our lives.
Use the opportunities of AI
AI and the Large Language Models (LLM) behind it are not just tools that make our lives easier. They also offer us amazing opportunities to improve our quality of life. In everyday life, they can play a crucial role in improving our efficiency and productivity, although it is estimated that only 10% of people actually use the tools to be more productive.
But AI is already in our everyday lives without us really noticing it – and that is the actual goal. Take, for example, the personalized recommendations on streaming platforms. They rely on complex algorithms that analyze our preferences and interests and suggest content we might like. Or let’s think about the navigation systems in our cars or Google Maps and WAZE on our smartphones. They use real-time data and machine learning to show us the best route to our destination and avoid traffic jams, while also integrating our calendar.
“Real progress lies not in making machines smarter, but in empowering people to achieve more.” – Roger Basler de Roca
On a larger scale, AI and ML can also help address societal challenges. They can help reduce the effects of climate change, for example by helping to develop efficient energy systems. They can also help fight disease by identifying patterns and trends in health data that would be difficult or even invisible to the human eye.
The challenge of pseudo-intelligence
Despite all its advantages, it is important to be aware of the limitations of AI. A good example is the so-called pseudo-intelligence. This refers to AI systems that appear intelligent but don’t really understand. Currently, in the generative aspect, AI is just a parrot that recognizes patterns but draws results and conclusions from limited training material.
While such systems can be useful, they can also lead to the creation of “smart” devices that are not as “smart” as they claim to be. Not only does this lead to inefficient systems, but it can also jeopardize our security because we rely on them too much.
“Thinking is like ChatGPT – only worse.” – Roger Basler de Roca
That’s why it’s important that we take a critical stance towards AI and not accept everything that seems to us to be “smart” or “intelligent” and therefore still think for ourselves. We need to ask the right questions and make sure the systems we use are actually working as they should.
Joint action and courage to set off
If we want to exploit the full potential of AI, we need one thing above all: the courage to explore new paths and the curiosity to seek ever better solutions. It is not enough to just talk about the possibilities of AI. We have to take action and put them into practice.
We need a culture of collective action where AI developers, scientists, companies and the general public work together to create AI systems that are both practical and ethical. We must also ensure that AI and ethics are developed in accordance with our human values and the well-being of society.
“AI is the greatest opportunity of our time to improve our productivity, our well-being and our world.” – Roger Basler de Roca
We can no longer just rely on comfortable superficiality, but must face the complex challenges that AI development brings with it. It is time to create a future where AI and humanity can work together in harmony, so that AI can truly become a calculator that not only makes our lives easier, but also helps make the world a better place. And it will be, but probably invisible
The actual goal: AI integrated, everywhere and invisible
An often overlooked feature of future artificial intelligence will be its ability to integrate seamlessly into our everyday lives. Ideally, the presence of AI in our systems and processes should be as commonplace as the presence of electricity in our homes, the flashlights and calculators in our smartphones. It should be everywhere, helping us be more efficient and productive, but never getting in our way.
The beauty of such “invisible” AI lies in its simplicity and its focus on humans. It manages to carry out complex calculations and analyzes in the background and only presents us with the information and recommendations that we really need. It helps us make decisions and solve problems without overwhelming or confusing us.
For example, let’s imagine we are performing a demanding task and our smartphone or computer proactively offers us helpful tips based on our previous behavior and preferences. Or we are in a new city and our navigation device knows our preferences so well that it not only shows us the fastest route, but also the most beautiful or most interesting route.
“We seek not to create AI that replaces humans, but AI that is capable of expanding and improving human potential.” – Roger Basler de Roca
Invisible yet ubiquitous, this type of AI has the potential to fundamentally change the way we interact with technology. It can help us spend less time on trivial tasks and instead let us focus on the things that really matter: creative thinking, problem solving, interactions with other people, and so on.
here’s an example of what it will look likeit’s worth it (14 minutes)
However, achieving this goal is not an easy task. It requires the collaboration of experts from various disciplines, including computer science, psychology, design and ethics. It also requires constant reflection on the role of AI in our society and the ethical implications of its use.
Despite these challenges, we believe the pursuit of integrated, invisible AI is a worthwhile endeavor. It is a path that can lead us not only to better technologies, but also to a better society, where technology serves as a tool that empowers and supports people rather than replacing or controlling them.
