>>> ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISN'T SCIENCE FICTION ANYMORE,
IT'S TECHNOLOGY AND PROGRAMMING THAT'S USED TO MAKE COMPUTERS
SMART, AND FROM SIRI, TO GOOGLE SEARCHES, TO NETFLIX, AI IS
SOMETHING WE HAVE COME TO RELY ON EVERY DAY.
BUT THIS KIND OF INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY CAN BE A DOUBLE-EDGED
SWORD.
I SAT DOWN WITH BRIAN O'NEILL, AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF
COMPUTER SCIENCE AT WESTERN NEW ENGLAND UNIVERSITY, TO LEARN
MORE AND TO FIND OUT WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE.
>> AI IS REALLY JUST ANY SYSTEM THAT CAN TAKE KNOWLEDGE AND MAKE
INTELLIGENT OR RATIONAL DECISIONS BASED ON THAT
KNOWLEDGE.
THAT COULD BE -- WHEN WE THINK OF AI, WE TEND TO THINK OF, OH,
ROBOTS AND SCI-FI THINGS, BUT IT'S THINGS WE USE EVERY DAY.
SIRI IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF AI, GOOGLE MAPS IS AN EXAMPLE OF AI,
ALEXA AND THOSE TOOLS.
>> A LOT OF TIMES WHEN I'M SEARCHING ON GOOGLE, I'M AMAZED.
>> IT'S BECAUSE IT HAS SO MUCH DATA OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SEARCHED,
IT KNOWS WHEN YOU TYPE IN THAT FIRST WORD WHAT THE SECOND,
THIRD, AND FOURTH WORD IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE.
>> CERTAINLY, THIS IS HELPFUL FOR COMPANIES, RIGHT, AS A
MARKETING TOOL?
>> SURE, AS A MARKETING TOOL, SO FIGURING OUT WHO TO ADVERTISE TO
AND WHAT TO ADVERTISE TO THEM, BASED ON YOUR SEARCH HISTORY,
BASED ON WHAT WEBSITES YOU'VE BEEN TO BEFORE, BASED ON WHAT
YOU'VE PURCHASED BEFORE.
>> AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOCIAL
MEDIA, AS WELL, FOR PROTECTIONS.
ONE OF THE BIG ONES THAT WAS JUST IN THE NEWS IS THE NEW
ZEALAND SHOOTING, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, STREAMED LIVE FOR, I
THINK, 17 MINUTES.
>> SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> HOW, YOU KNOW, THAT AI SITUATION DID NOT WORK, AND WHAT
HAPPENED?
>> IT DIDN'T. SO AI, LIKE I SAID, NEEDS DATA
TO LEARN FROM, AND SO WE CALL THIS TRAINING DATA.
IT NEEDS LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF, THIS IS A THING, THIS IS NOT
THAT THING, IF IT WANTS TO LEARN TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE.
SO IF FACEBOOK DECIDED TOMORROW THEY WANTED TO BAN CAT VIDEOS,
THEY'D BE IN GOOD SHAPE BECAUSE THEY HAVE LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF
CAT VIDEOS AND VIDEOS THAT AREN'T CATS.
IT'S A GOOD THING WE DON'T HAVE LOTS OF VIDEOS OF SOMEONE GOING
ON A RAMPAGE LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW ZEALAND, SO FACEBOOK
DIDN'T HAVE GOOD EXAMPLES TO TEACH AN AI THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT WE WANT YOU TO FLAG AND TAKE DOWN.
IT WAS A RARE EVENT, AND, THEREFORE, FACEBOOK'S AI WAS
NEVER REALLY GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE TO IDENTIFY IT AS THAT.
>> AND MOVING FORWARD, HOW DO THEY PROTECT THEMSELVES IN A
SIMILAR CASE?
>> SO THIS IS A DIFFICULT PROBLEM FOR THEM.
ONE THING THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT IS, WELL, WE COULD TRY TO TEACH
AI TO TARGET VIDEOS THAT HAVE GUNS IN THEM, BUT THERE ARE
LEGITIMATE GUN VIDEOS OUT THERE, THERE ARE GUN TRAINING VIDEOS ON
FACEBOOK.
FACEBOOK EVEN IN THEIR OWN STATEMENT POINTED OUT THERE ARE
VIDEO GAME STREAMS THAT GET POSTED TO FACEBOOK, AND SOME OF
THOSE VIDEO GAMES LOOK PRETTY REALISTIC NOWADAYS, AND FLAGGING
ANY VIDEO WITH A GUN IS GOING TO GET A LOT OF FALSE POSITIVES,
THINGS THAT FACEBOOK DOESN'T INTEND TO BAN FROM THEIR
NETWORK.
>> AND ANOTHER THING THAT FACEBOOK WAS LOOKING AT IS
REVENGE PORN TO PROTECT VICTIMS.
>> RIGHT, SO FACEBOOK IN GENERAL HAS BEEN TRYING TO CRACK DOWN ON
PORN AND HUMAN NUDITY.
THEY ACTUALLY DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF CUTTING DOWN ON NUDITY IN
PHOTOS.
I SAW THEY GET 96% OF ALL POSTS WITH NUDITY GET FLAGGED BEFORE
THEY EVEN GET POSTED TO THE SYSTEM.
THERE'S, OBVIOUSLY, ADDITIONAL CONCERNS WHEN WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE REVENGE PORN.
YEAH, THEY ARE TRYING TO GET BETTER BOTH BY RECOGNIZING
COMMONALITIES IN THE IMAGES OR VIDEOS THAT GET POSTED AND THE
TEXT THAT GETS POSTED AROUND THEM.
>> SO ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT
ARE HAPPENING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THESE ARE PROBLEMS THAT COULD
POP UP AT ANY TIME.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS, LIKE, I GUESS THE FUTURE OF AI AS WE
MOVE FORWARD?
>> SO, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I MEAN, THE THINGS THAT FACEBOOK CAN DO
NOW WERE INSANE TO THINK ABOUT FIVE, TEN YEARS AGO.
THE IDEA THAT THEY COULD IDENTIFY CERTAIN TYPES OF
VIDEOS, WHICH ARE HUGE FILES, WOULD HAVE BEEN CRAZY.
NOW THEY CAN DO THAT.
SO I DON'T THINK IT'S INSANE TO SAY MAYBE IN FIVE, TEN YEARS
THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY A NEW ZEALAND-TYPE VIDEO IF THEY
HAD TO HAVE TO AGAIN.
IN THE LONGER RUN, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE AI BEING A BENEFIT
TO SOCIETY.
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN HOW IN OUR DAILY LIVES TOOLS LIKE SIRI AND
ALEXA ARE MOSTLY USEFUL, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE, OBVIOUSLY,
WITH PRIVACY CONCERNS WHEN THE MICROPHONE IS ALWAYS ON.
>> AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OTHER APPLICATIONS OF AI,
THINGS THAT I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE.
ECHO, THE ECHO DOT, PANDORA, NETFLIX, ALL OF THESE USE THAT?
>> ALL OF THESE USE AI, THAT'S HOW NETFLIX RECOMMENDS TV SHOWS
TO YOU.
THEY HAVE A LARGE DATABASE OF USERS AND CAN SAY, "OH, THIS
PERSON LIKED STAR TREK AND THE WEST WING, YOU'LL LIKE THIS
SHOW, TOO."
PANDORA WORKS THE SAME WAY.
THEY CAN IDENTIFY COMMONALITIES, NOT JUST IN SONGS YOU LISTEN TO,
BUT COMMONALITIES IN THE FEATURES OF THE SONGS THAT YOU
LISTEN TO AND IDENTIFY, OH, WE THINK YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE THIS.
>> TO SOME PEOPLE, THIS IS FANTASTIC, AND THESE ARE THINGS
THAT WE USE EVERY DAY AND NOW WE'RE SO USED TO IT, BUT IF YOU,
YOU KNOW, WENT BACK 30 YEARS, PEOPLE WOULD THINK THIS IS
CRAZY.
LIKE, WHAT ARE WE DOING, THESE COMPUTERS ARE SMARTER THAN WE
ARE.
>> SMARTER THAN WE ARE IS A HARD THING TO SAY.
I THINK THEY ARE ABLE TO PROCESS MORE DATA THAN WE ARE.
ULTIMATELY, ANY AI SYSTEM IS PRONE TO THE BIASES OF THE
PEOPLE WHO CREATE IT, AND WHETHER THOSE BIASES ARE
INTENTIONAL OR NOT.
THEY ARE ALSO PRONE TO THE BIASES OF THE DATA THAT GOES
INTO THEM, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR NOT.
AMAZON RECENTLY HAD AN ISSUE WHERE THEY WERE FEEDING RESUMES
INTO AN AI SYSTEM, AN INITIAL FILTER, AND THE AI SEEMED TO BE
BIASED AGAINST WOMEN, AND IT WASN'T AN INTENTIONAL ITEM.
THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE SYSTEM SAYING REJECT WOMEN, BUT THE
DATA THAT IT HAD BEEN FED IN OF, OH, WE HIRED THESE PEOPLE AND
DIDN'T HIRE THESE PEOPLE WAS REFLECTIVE OF PRACTICES THAT
WERE NOT GREAT TO HIRING WOMEN.
SO IT WASN'T AN INTENTIONAL DESIGN FEATURE, BUT THE DATA
THAT GOES IN IS GOING TO AFFECT -- IS GOING TO AFFECT THE
DECISIONS THAT COME OUT.
>> TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HELPFUL APPLICATIONS, CERTAINLY
FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND HOW THIS IS REALLY MAKING,
YOU KNOW, THEIR LIVES MORE INDEPENDENT?
>> RIGHT.
SO WE'RE ALREADY SEEING AI THAT CAN INTERACT WITH NERVOUS SYSTEM
AND CAN HELP AS MORE INTELLIGENT JOINTS, SPINAL, HELPING WITH
SPINAL INJURIES, HELPING WITH PEOPLE WITH MISSING LIMBS.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD WORK.
>> SO PROMINENT SCIENTISTS, INCLUDING THE LATE STEVE
HAWKINGS, HAVE WARNED OF THE DANGERS OF AI.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?
>> I'M NOT SO MUCH OF AN AI DOOMSDAY PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG, LONG WAY AND A LOT OF
EFFORT AND JUST SURPRISE, HONESTLY, FOR AN AI TO BECOME
SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.
I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT A MATRIX SITUATION.
THAT SAID, AN AI THAT DOESN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT CONTROL OR THAT
CAN'T EXPLAIN ITS DECISIONS WILL BE A BAD THING FOR SOCIETY, SO
WHILE I'M NOT WORRIED THE WAY HAWKINGS OR MUSK OFTEN TALK
ABOUT AI BEING A NEGATIVE, I THINK THAT THE MORE IMPORTANT
ISSUE IS GOING TO BE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PUTTING GOOD DATA AND
ETHICAL DATA INTO OUR SYSTEM SO THAT WE GET GOOD DECISIONS AND
ETHICAL DECISIONS BACK.
>> OKAY, AGAIN, 30 YEARS AGO, THIS WAS ALL SCIENCE FICTION.
>> IT WAS, IT ABSOLUTELY WAS.
>> SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
>> IT WAS, BUT IT'S REALLY THE BOON OF THE COMPUTING POWER THAT
WE'VE GAINED OVER THOSE 30 YEARS.
I MEAN, WE CARRY MORE COMPUTING POWER IN OUR POCKETS THAN TOOK
US TO THE MOON.
I CARRY THE CALCULATOR IN MY POCKET THAT MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
TEACHER SWORE I WASN'T GOING TO CARRY AROUND ON ME, AND THE
BENEFIT OF THAT IS WE CAN ASK IT GREAT QUESTIONS AND GET ANSWERS
BACK QUICKLY.
WE'RE COLLECTING A LOT OF DATA ABOUT OURSELVES AND HAVING IT
STORED WITH GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK AND AMAZON, AND THERE ARE GOING
TO BE SOME PRIVACY CONCERNS AS WE GO ALONG.