The third talk in the “DisruptIA” series of conferences that Banco Sabadell is organising this year to make its employees aware of the great importance that the emergence of AI will have on our society was given by Pablo Carlier, Head of Data Analytics & AI for Iberia at Google. During his talk, he explained how Google is using Artificial Intelligence in its internal processes and in the products it offers to its customers alike. He also discussed the major challenges posed by the advent of this new technology and the need for strict standards of control to ensure that it is used in a way that is genuinely positive for society as a whole.
Carlier began his talk by reminding the audience that Artificial Intelligence is not a new technology. In fact, almost everyone who is active online has been using it for years, even if they are not aware of it. It has long been used to improve the performance of products such as Google Maps and Google, to name but two. The last year has seen the emergence of new ways of interacting with these technologies, meaning they can now be used on a massive scale by all kinds of businesses and individuals. “We are entering a new stage,” he said, “where the use of Artificial Intelligence is no longer an option, but a necessity. Companies that fail to adapt to this new environment are likely to struggle against competitors that do”.
Google Experience: 20 years and over 6,000 researchers
To focus on Google’s activities in this area, he began by explaining that research got underway two decades ago and that the company currently employs 6,000 AI researchers. Although, logically, like any company, one of its priorities is to be economically profitable, it has gone to great lengths to remember which social mission Google considers a priority: “to organise all the information available in the world and make it available to everyone on the planet”. A mission for which Artificial Intelligence has proven to be an extremely useful resource. Among the practical applications that have already been, or could soon be, derived from combining AI with the data Google already has, he highlighted the following, to name but a few:
- Predict flood risks to warn affected areas
- Predict the course of forest fires that have already started, making it easier to fight them
- Facilitate the diagnosis of disease risks, even in areas with few doctors
- Predict the future development of diseases
- Facilitate and accelerate the cataloguing of existing proteins
- Facilitate the discovery of new materials
- Streamline all work derived from or related to computer programming
- Accelerate communication channels between public administrations and society.
AI and the Challenge of its Implementation in Business
Artificial intelligence is shaking up the labour market. Some tasks that used to be done by people can now be done by machines. This has raised concerns about the impact of AI on employment.
However, it is important to remember that Artificial Intelligence is also creating new job opportunities. Skilled workers are needed to develop, implement and maintain AI systems. What’s more, AI can free us from repetitive tasks and allow us to focus on more creative and rewarding work.
The key to the future of work is adaptation. Workers must be willing to learn new skills and adapt to changes in the labour market. Governments and businesses must also invest in training and professional development to help workers adapt to the digital economy.
Logically, companies have already started to integrate this type of technology into their operations, which is already very important in activities such as customer service, but is now starting to be rolled out in other areas such as market analysis or other business areas. With this in mind, Google has launched Gemini, its new Artificial Intelligence tool that includes a set of specific tools designed to facilitate a wide range of professional tasks. This leads directly to one of the most talked about topics in recent months: the impact of AI on the labour market. In this sense, according to Carlier, “I think it is too early to predict what will happen in this regard, but my personal opinion is that the lower value-added tasks will indeed be taken over by AI, leaving us better equipped for the tasks where human intervention is essential. In a way, AI is like the pilot of an aeroplane. We all know that when we fly, much of the flight is done by an autopilot. But none of us would think of flying without a human team in the cockpit”.
Google and the Social Benefits of Artificial Intelligence
On another front, he was keen to highlight Google’s social commitment when it comes to launching AI solutions or working with companies to develop their own tools. “Our company currently has a total of 15 Artificial Intelligence services in operation, used by 500 million people. All of them have been carefully analysed and reviewed by various specialist committees before being launched. And we have abandoned the development of several tools because we were unsure how useful they would be for society or because we were not sure we could guarantee the security and privacy of the data needed to operate them”. In this context, he also referred to those utilities that do not run in the cloud but locally, on the user’s device, to ensure privacy. He also referred to the company’s refusal to provide open access to some of its tools (such as facial recognition in Google Photos) to avoid possible unwanted uses of this technology. He went on to outline some of the specific problems that some companies have already had to deal with as a result of the inappropriate use of AI.
AI is a rapidly developing technology with the potential to transform many aspects of our lives. It is important to keep abreast of the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence and to understand the potential impact of this technology.
The future of AI is uncertain, but it is clear that this technology is having a profound impact on society. It is important that we work together to ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically for the benefit of humanity as a whole.
In order to give those interested a better understanding of the possibilities and precautions to be taken before implementing this type of technology, Banco Sabadell is offering the opportunity to watch the talks in this series online. Carlier’s talk is available in this video.
