What is the point of artificial intelligence?
Why, when there is so much concern about the potential consequences,
are we hurtling towards a technology that could be a mass job killer?
Why, when we face so many competing energy and land use needs,
are we devoting ever more resources to data centers for AI?
There are good reasons to worry about its negative consequences,
and the media has a bias towards negativity.
As a result, we don't tend to explore these questions.
My name's Jerusalem Dempsis.
I'm a staff writer at the Atlantic.
And this is good on paper.
A policy show that questions what we really know about popular narratives.
Today's episode is about one of the best applications of AI,
helping push the boundaries of science forward to make life better for billions of people.
This isn't a Pollyannish conversation that skates past concerns with AI,
but I do want to spend some time investigating the ways
that this technology could improve our lives before we get into the business of complicating it.
In some ways, this conversation isn't just about AI,
it's about technological progress and the trade offs that come with it.
Are the productivity benefits of AI worth all the downstream consequences?