[Insight & Opinion] The Future of the AI Era... Shaped by Humanity

The era of artificial intelligence (AI) for everyone is rapidly unfolding. Just as people nowadays easily use smartphones, soon everyone will be able to utilize powerful general-purpose AI anywhere. It is a new human civilization. In times like these, wisdom to look far ahead is needed. One such wisdom is to envision what AI will bring to individuals and society 10 or 20 years from now.

I had the opportunity to write a review of a book called AI 2041. The authors, based on a thorough understanding of AI technology, present ten future societal scenarios that are technically over 80% achievable around 2041 in the form of stories.

They cover the future of everyday life including education, love between men and women, non-life insurance, entertainment, jobs, and happiness, which resonates with readers. For example, every child creates their own AI partner by the age of four and enhances their abilities through that AI partner. It is as if children have their own personalized AI teacher from an early age. Reading the ten future stories introduced in this book, it is easy to see that by around 2040, almost all daily life and activities will be based on AI.

However, it is human instinct to feel fear and anxiety when faced with something powerful. Many people have vague fears and negative perceptions about the future that AI technology will bring. AI technology itself is powerful but neutral. Whether it brings positive or negative outcomes entirely depends on how we utilize that technology.

AI technology is the future given to us. We should not fear or ignore it but face it and welcome it warmly. Just as the internet that emerged over 30 years ago did, the AI technology that will spread in the future will bring far more benefits than losses. The information revolution brought by the internet to humanity was indeed enormous, but as someone said, the ripple effect of AI technology will be more than 100 times that of the internet.

The power of AI technology will soon surpass human intelligence and capabilities. That does not mean we need to have vague fears, negative perceptions, or misunderstandings about the future AI will bring. We must thoroughly respond to the expected negative risks but focus on the possibilities AI will bring. Didn’t they say to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses? The same applies to AI technology.

How we create the future image of AI is entirely in our hands. In terms of intelligence power, AI will become Goliath and humans will be David as we move into the future. Just as David defeated Goliath, I believe humanity will overcome AI and create a human-centered AI era.

By utilizing AI technology that surpasses human intelligence and capabilities, we can create a better future and a happier, more positive future that was impossible by conventional methods. To do so, we must courageously gather wisdom. Ultimately, our values and beliefs will play the role of a self-fulfilling prophecy shaping the future image of the AI era. We must not simply predict the future scenarios of the AI era and leave it to chance or AI itself. We must write it line by line with our own hands.

Kim Hyungon, Director of the National Assembly Future Institute