Economist Daron Acemo臒lu: AI could increase inequality
Renowned economist Professor Daron Acemo臒lu says AI is being used to 鈥渟ubjugate people鈥�
Renowned economist and author Professor Daron Acemo臒lu has told the 91热爆 that artificial intelligence is being used to 鈥渟ubjugate people, reduce their autonomy, reduce their agency鈥�.
Speaking to Stephen Sackur on HARDtalk, Professor Acemo臒lu said the 鈥渃ulture of Silicon Valley has been the thing that has pushed us towards more and more automation, less and less attention to what the average worker needs 鈥� a sort of an elitist attitude towards technology.鈥�
In contrast to the doomsday scenarios of science fiction, Professor Acemo臒lu said he was less concerned about AI taking over from human beings and more worried about humans using AI to exploit other humans. The discussion of 鈥渆xistential risks really takes our attention off the more mundane and daily uses of AI and digital technologies that are inequality generating,鈥� he said.
During a long career at MIT in the US, Professor Acemo臒lu has studied the effects of technological progress on social conditions and warns history shows technology by itself does not improve society. In fact, he warns, it can make the conditions of workers worse. As in previous technological revolutions, Professor Acemoglu says the danger lies in the material benefits going only to an elite. 鈥淎 small cadre of people are shaping the future of AI,鈥� he said.
