Artificial intelligence: a panacea or a trap for humanity?

Not so long ago, some 30-40 years ago, only science fiction writers speculated about artificial intelligence and the total robotisation of human life. But in less than a generation, the capabilities of virtual intelligence have begun to make a real impact. The intelligence created by scientists has penetrated the most diverse areas of human life: finance, transport, medicine, cinema, music, sport.... It has penetrated - and it is not going to give up its positions!

All of this (and more) was the subject of a frank discussion at the "World of Opportunities" International Business Forum held in Dubai on 23 and 24 April. The gala dinner, organised by the GDA Group and the Foundation for the Protection of Investors' Rights Abroad, aroused a great deal of interest among Forum participants. The event marked the opening of the GDA Group in the United Arab Emirates and the eighth anniversary of the Foundation for the Protection of Investors' Rights Abroad.

It should be noted that the GDA Group's activities touch on issues of global information security, innovative technologies, their implementation and regulation - including the security of artificial intelligence. Everything related to the world of digital technologies, creation of digital ecosystems and formation of new architecture based on advanced achievements is in the sphere of professional interests of GDA Group experts.

The participants' interest in what was going on is understandable: today, the artificial intelligence industry is developing at breakneck speed. The computer mind has learnt to process vast amounts of data, sequence it, produce results, generate ideas and even make predictions. Neural networks are already being used to create music, paintings, literary works and scientific papers! AI has automated many processes and routine tasks, allowing humans to save time and resources. Today, every second large commercial company in the world is thinking about using an artificial system in its work. A robot can easily replace a human in solving large tasks and become his excellent assistant.

If there are still unexplored areas on planet Earth, they are in the field of artificial intelligence. This means that we can expect scientific breakthroughs, insights and real discoveries every day. In medicine, active interaction between humans and neural networks is expected. Specialists believe that with the help of an artificial brain, it will be possible to give the human body new abilities or to restore those that have been lost. In this case, the neural network will play the role of an important link through which the body and the mechanism will understand each other and interact on a familiar level.

Yes, there are people who are sceptical about the rapid development of AI. The famous American entrepreneur Elon Musk, for example, sees it as a threat to humanity. In one of his interviews, Mr Musk spoke of the need to establish government control over artificial intelligence. He sees the greatest danger as the moment when artificial intelligence becomes many times smarter than humans and begins to use its creator for its own purposes.

At the Dubai forum, all the pros and cons of the rapid digitisation of our lives were discussed in detail. Many experts concluded that there is no need to dramatise the situation. It is simply a matter of managing the process so that artificial intelligence becomes a faithful and obedient assistant to man, facilitating his daily concerns and, if necessary, replacing you and me in heavy or monotonous production.

Summing up thousands of arguments 'for' and an equal number of arguments 'against', the GDA Group has come up with an initiative to create the BRICS Convention on Safe Artificial Intelligence. The implementation of this project will stimulate deeper cooperation between the BRICS member countries, an association that represents the vast majority of the population and economy of the Global South. There is a compelling logic to this proposal, as the GDA Group's activities are based on the principles of justice, equality and respect for human rights.