Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and the Feud Over Killer Robots

Teenagers are susceptible to the influence of violent and provocative content; this is why TV shows and films have age restrictions. 

Because babies are more susceptible to cold temperatures than adults are, their body temperature should be kept at a stable level. 

Teachers try their best to find their students’ talents and help them reach their full potential. 

The sports commentator remarked that the athlete reached his full potential in his performance at the Olympics. 

In your own words, please briefly summarize the article.

Do you tend to think that the commercialization of AI is good for humanity, or not so good? Why? 

In what ways do you think AI is beneficial for humanity? Give an example. 

Conversely, in what way do you think AI can have negative impacts on humanity? Give an example. 

Some argue that it will be impossible for AI to replace certain human jobs. However, others argue that with time, AI will be sophisticated enough to do anything a human can. What do you think? 

How do you think the commercialization of AI will unfold in the future? How do you think it should unfold? 

If you have a question or questions that you'd like to discuss during your class, please write them down.

A force for good or evil? 

Artificial Intelligence

인공지능은 인류에게 선인가, 악인가? 

여러분들은 인공지능이 우리의 삶을 어떻게 바꿀 것이라고 생각하나요?

In 2017, Silicon Valley's leading founders Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk engaged in a healthy debate on the topic of artificial intelligence. Specifically, they looked at the “good and evils” of artificial intelligence, respectively.  Elon Musk took on the glass half-empty stance, fighting against the commercialization of AI. His predictions were that the technology would have a net negative impact on humanity; being that AI would be less susceptible [1] to biases and errors, it would take jobs away from people. The result would be the destruction of the middle class, and subsequently, social chaos. His thinking was that humans must be equipped with tools to stay ahead of AI. Since humans are only using 3 to 5 percent of their brains’ full potential, Musk argued that technological advancements in brain-computer interfacing could allow humans to reach their full potential [2]. Indeed, he recently launched a company called Neuralink, pursuing what he calls “neural lace” technology, implanting tiny electrodes on the brain, which may one day allow a user to upload and download thoughts. Unlike Elon Musk, Zuckerberg’s stance was that AI will only make society safer and more productive. According to Zuckerberg, self-driving cars, AI lawyers, AI health diagnoses, and more have the potential to free mankind from unnecessary labor, popularize quality services to the general public, and secure people’s rights to life. In fact, Google, Facebook, and other companies with a large store of data support AI because they stand to benefit from providing customized services enabled by their data collection and analytics. The argument is one that is ongoing, and one that might be slightly more personal to Musk and Zuckerberg. About a year after their initial debate, Musk removed Tesla and SpaceX’s presence on Facebook following consumer comments regarding anti-Facebook campaigns on Twitter.  On a larger scale, though, there does seem to be continued disagreement in the realm of AI. While the net positive or net negative impacts are yet to be viewed, it is without dispute that artificial intelligence is in the near future-- and it will have an indisputable impact on our lives. Do you see the glass as half-empty, or half-full? Who do you side with, Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg?

실리콘밸리의 대표 창업자 마크 주커버그와 일론 머스크가 ‘인공지능(AI)의 선과 악’에 대해 상반된 견해를 가지고 공개적으로 공방을 펼친 것은 한때 큰 화제 거리가 되었습니다. 일론 머스크는 AI 가 향후 인류 사회를 파괴할지도 모른다고 경고합니다. 그는 인공지능이 인간 대비 더 완벽하고 실수가 없기 때문에, 종국에는 많은 일자리가 로봇에 의해 대체될 것이고, 이는 중산층 붕괴로 이어져 인류 사회가 큰 혼란에 빠질 수 있다고 믿습니다. 그는 사람이 인공지능으로부터 지배당하지 않으려면, 그보다 더 우수해져야 한다 주장합니다. 그는 인간의 두뇌가 실제 역량의 3~5% 밖에 활용되지 못하고 있다는 문제점에 착안하여, 컴퓨터와 인간의 뇌를 결합하고 뇌를 컴퓨터화 함으로써, 뇌가 가진 잠재력을 100% 끌어내는 시도를 하고 있습니다. 일례로 그가 세운 스타트업 Neuralink는 인간의 뇌에 작은 전극을 이식해 생각을 업로드, 다운로드하는 기술을 개발합니다. 저커버그는 일론 머스크와는 달리 인공지능이 인류를 더 풍요롭게 만들 것이라 믿습니다. 자율주행차, AI 변호사, AI 건강진단 서비스 등은 인류에게 불필요한 노동으로부터의 자유, 프리미엄 서비스의 대중화, 사고와 질병으로부터의 생명권 보존 등을 제공한다는 것입니다. 사실 Google, Facebook처럼 방대한 고객 데이터를 보유한 회사들은 사업모델 상 데이터를 활용한 고도의 개인 맞춤 서비스 제공이 중요하기에 인공지능을 지지할 수밖에 없습니다.  선이든 악이든, 인공지능이 우리의 삶을 바꿀 것이라는 데에는 이견이 없는 듯합니다. 여러분은 일론 머스크와 마크 저커버그 중, 누구의 주장에 고개가 끄덕여 지시나요?