Artificial intelligence is not going to cause massive unemployment, but on the contrary will unleash new heights of productivity and innovation, says AMD CEO Lisa Su. According to Su, when interviewed by Wired, the role of AI can be regarded as a tool to solve complex problems and speed up development instead of substituting human expertise. She also stressed that AMD still employs engineers since people are still the final decision-makers in technology.
Su also objected to AI being compared to the doomsday scenario. She admitted that artificial general intelligence (AGI) is possible, but the existing AI systems remain limited, performing mainly routine tasks. When AI can reduce processes that normally take years, like the design of a chip or a medical breakthrough, down to a matter of months, she reasoned, that will be the true transformation.
AI as a productivity driver
Su likened the emergence of AI to other technological revolutions in the past and termed it as more fundamental than the internet in enhancing efficiency. She said that like the Industrial Revolution, AI might transform industries, shorten the development cycle and make possible advancements that previously seemed impossible. She foretold that in the future society will accept AI as a common tool just as people now use the internet.
Transforming healthcare and beyond
One of the areas in which Su is very positive is healthcare. She defined AI as the means of revolutionising drug discovery, patient care, and medical research by minimising trial-and-error techniques. She said that linking the whole process of research to treatment could take society a step ahead in curing diseases more effectively.
Although Su conceded that there will be difficulties when AI grows up, she is optimistic. She also ended by concluding that we would “bet on people being alright”, emphasising that human judgement and creativity will still be at the forefront, even in the world of AI.