It is disconcerting that the concentration of massive technological power in the hands of a few tech-czars and their companies is being used to flaunt a Utopian vision of an artificial intelligence (AI) takeover of the planet (‘Ground Zero’ – “Slowdown in Software Central”, July 1).
The suggestion of Silicon Valley entrepreneur Vinod Dham that India should seize the AI opportunity should be viewed with trepidation because the current trajectory of automation is wholly technology-centred where computer systems will almost entirely displace the human workforce.
Techno-sceptics and sane voices in the technological world have been waging a losing battle in support of human-centred automation. It is possible to design systems where the speed and precision of computers will complement the active engagement of human workers.
The concept of adaptive automation, where roles and responsibilities are switched between computers and human operators, will, according to technology critic Nicholas Carr, “inject a dose of humanity into the working relationships between people and computers”.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
