We Have to Empower Ourselves - Dr. Ayesha Khanna
Moment | April 2019
By Alice Lindén
AI, smart cities and financial technology are all parts of the most intense technological revolution in human history – the Hybrid Age. And it is going on right now. Ayesha Khanna is the founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an advisory company for artificial intelligence, and she wants us all to embrace technological opportunities.
What is the Hybrid Age?
“It is a new era of human technology evo- lution. The reason we call it the Hybrid Age is because we live with the technology, we evolve with it and it is everywhere around us. Previous eras like the industrial evolution were very focused on companies and disrupted the way we work, but the Hybrid Age is ubiquitous and has societal impact as well.”
How is the Hybrid Age going to affect our daily lives?
“Think about every single step of the day, starting with transportation to work. In the future we will not go on our daily commute the same way as we do now, instead autonomous vehicles are going to be a part of our lives. Another thing that is going to change during this era is our work. Before we used to be the main team players, now there is a new important member of the team – the machine. This machine will automate your routine work and give you insights that humans cannot. It’s kind of like a new colleague at work that everybody has to learn to collaborate with.”
You emphasize the importance of learning the basics of AI. Why?
“The Hybrid Age is not a movie and AI is not a spectator sport. This is your life, your problem and your opportunity to evolve with the technology. We all need to learn the basics of how machines work, and our children have to learn the basics of coding. This will be as important as maths and reading. It has never been easier to educate yourself by taking online courses and you can follow the news to keep yourself updated. We cannot wait for some- one to tell us what to do, we have to empower ourselves. If we do that, we can actually have a really secure future in terms of both our careers and personal lives.”
Do you see any drawbacks to this fast techno logical evolution?
“There is always risks with technology – it’s a double-edged sword. Anybody who tells you otherwise is lying. The right way forward is to take advantage of the technology’s advantages, of what it brings us in terms of disease iden- tification and climate sustainability. But also to be extremely aware of the risks it poses in terms of manipulation, like fake news or even cybercrime. We have to govern it properly while at the same time solve problems for human beings and use it to the best of our abilities.”
