“If we do not learn to change our thinking, we will be an irrelevant species”

“The measure of intelligence is change,” said Albert Einstein. And so the book begins This time it’s different (Deusto) by Omar Hatamleh, who emphasizes that all profits will go in full to the children’s NGO Smiles without Cancer. Reluctant to talk about his link with the US space agency and focused on the impact of the book (on society and on the NGO), Hatamleh searches, dives and reflects on the impact of AI. And it does so with a neutral voice, presenting all the benefits on one plate and the problems on the other.. A neutral voice, but a characteristic accent.

Born to Jordanian and Spanish parents (Granada, more precisely), Hatamleh speaks in a slow tone, trying to avoid any mention of his position as chief advisor for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and also advisor to the United Nations in this section. So, trying to respect your wish, we will focus on the book… Why is it different this time? Why is it different from nuclear energy, genetics or the Internet? What makes AI different?

“Although in the first instance the arrival of AI can be confused with the Industrial Revolution – Hatamleh explains to us in a telephone conversation -, AI is a technology on which all sectors and all economies of the future will be built. “AI will not only affect transportation and manufacturing, it will also directly affect the financial sector, education and healthcare.”

Such a pervasive effect will have consequences. The first question is if we will know how to handle them and the second is if we are prepared for it.

“Without a doubt, it is true – confirms Hatamleh -. And this is the root of one of the most worrying issues. Right now we depend on cell phones, our lives are there, our families, our memories… AI will have an even greater effect and this may pose a risk to our cognitive abilities. We have already seen how the arrival of Google Maps or the option to obtain information from social networks affects us in cognitive terms. We cannot allow people’s intellectual capacity to continue to decline. And we should not accept that it changes how we are as a society.”

The mention of AI and healthcare makes it inevitable to think about a future of doctors and health professionals working side by side with robotic entities to solve problems that previously took years and now could take minutes.

“In this sense – this expert agrees – you only have to think about AlphaFold, a program that uses AI to analyze the structure of proteins. The folds alert us to their functions. and this It allows us to create medicines, detect genetic problems and anticipate health problems, such as the arrhythmias detected by some smart watches. All this will allow us to live much mtos, up to 130 years, for example.”

In an ideal system and thinking about it individually, this is very positive, but what will happen to the economy? How will the pension system meet the needs of a population that reaches 130 years of age?

“That is a big concern of the current AI environment. AND That’s why I also say that this time is different: we are thinking ahead. Therefore, the economy of the future will also have to decide what jobs we will do in the future.. And make sure it’s something that everyone can enjoy.”

The picture seems very ideal, seen this way, but not everyone is willing to have an AI determine what work it will do in the future. Or what will be your children’s. For Hatamleh, this is when legislation comes to the fore.

“It is a complex issue – agrees Hatamleh -. On the one hand, those with a restrictive policy will see innovation and talent go elsewhere. But the reality is that there must be rules no matter what, they just have to be written in a spirit that allows them to be modified depending on progress. That It is the only solution. Which It is clear that creativity will be a fundamental value, we will just know how to differentiate who does it. The arts, the emotionsmay be interpreted by humans, by teams of humans and artificial intelligence and only by the latter. And we can all choose which one to enjoy.”

It is obvious that progress is unstoppable, which does not mean that we are prepared for it. Although change and evolution are part of our history as a species.

“Definitely. Our history as a species has constantly evolved for almost 300,000 years, from hunters to gatherers, artisans, farmers, builders. But all that technological evolution was linear. Now it is exponential and if we do not accept that we must change our linear thinking to exponential we are going to be very irrelevant as a species. The reality is that AI can no longer be removed from our lives. To minimize the risks we have to work as a community.”

2050 is always talked about as a frontier, a nearby window through which to spy on the future. Having an expert open that door is a privilege… Although we are not always prepared for what he shows us.

“In the future – Hatamleh theorizes –, Demographics will change completely and there will be countries that have as many humans as humanoid inhabitants and this will create a gap as large as the one that exists today between countries that have the internet and those that do not. They have stable access. But there will be more differences. The robots with which we will live will have a subscription that, like that of certain current streaming services, will allow us to access certain options and others will be prohibited. This, obviously, has moral consequences that we will have to discuss.”

Hatamleh may be right and this time it will be different. In fact, we need it to be. Not because AI is a potential danger, but because, just as Hatamleh has donated the proceeds of the book to Smiles Without Cancer, We need hope, that of having learned from the past (at least from the technological one) and this time, doing better.