AI is Here, Now What?

February 2, 2025: The recent advancements in open source Artificial Intelligence (AI)  might be compared to a spectacular 15th-century invention.

The Gutenberg press forever changed the way information was shared by the affordable mass production of books. The rapid spread of ideas and knowledge that followed led to the Renaissance, the Reformation and inevitably the scientific revolution. 

AI has the potential to change how the modern world learns, works, solves problems and makes important decisions. For centuries, much of this knowledge was accessed and understood by reading books. By applying AI technologies, complex information will be made more accessible by breaking down barriers to knowledge that exist due to language, education, economics, or simply too much information.

The Gutenberg press challenged the power of institutions over the control of knowledge and allowed the public to access a wide range of different viewpoints. This led to the rise of individualism, the questioning of authority (particularly in religion) and open the way to scientific and  technological achievements and the creation of new forms of literature and artistic expression. Similarly, the rapid  and widespread  integration of AI systems will challenge the traditional notions of institutional authority and change the role of human endeavor in a AI technology driven world of  expanding scientific and technical frontiers. 

From its beginning, the wide distribution of books raised important questions and concerns about the reliability of information, censorship, propaganda, and the responsibilities of authorship as more and more voices entered the public mainstream. Social Media has turn these concerns into real social problems. As AI systems become more integrated into daily life, these problems will become more urgent.

Over 500 years ago the invention of the printing press transformed the way knowledge was produced, accessed, and understood, leading to profound economic, scientific, political, and cultural change around the world. Now a new and equally spectacular invention will rock the world in unimaginable ways. 

There’s no turning back. AI systems are here to stay and will be crucial to solving the big challenges of climate change, economic inequality, political unrest and polarization, and, maybe ironically, even the societal disruption created by AI technology. Despite this dark period of chaos and upheaval, this reporter remains an AI optimist.  

“The creation of wealth is certainly not to be despised, but in the long run the only human activities really worthwhile are the search for knowledge, and the creation of beauty” – Arthur C. Clarke