Episode 09: Can AI make the world a better place?

No technology is inherently all good or all bad. It depends how
we use it. AI helps some global players to increase their
turnover. In the service of autocratic regimes, it could monitor
entire societies. But it can also be used to control power and
water supplies more efficiently. That’s why we should agree whom
AI is supposed to benefit and how it can be regulated. 


A “human AI” that expands human intelligence for the good of our
societies and the planet has the potential to make the world a
better place. At present, however, certain groups in society are
bearing the negative consequences of AI. Alexander von Humboldt
Professor Aimée van Wynsberghe regards the way we handle AI as a
social experiment. In Episode 9 of “AI and Us”, she is joined by
AI experts Martin Butz and Tobias Matzner to consider the
ethical, ecological and social issues that have to be borne in
mind when dealing with AI. 


The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation


Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more
than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time
conducting research in Germany. The Foundation maintains a
network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians from all disciplines in
more than 140 countries worldwide – including 57 Nobel Laureates.


As part of the German government’s Artificial Intelligence
Strategy, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation can appoint a
total of 30 Alexander von Humboldt Professors for Artificial
Intelligence in the years up to 2024. These chairs are
contributing to work being done to comprehensively investigate
the opportunities AI offers for our future and to make use of
them. They will also help strengthen Germany’s standing as an
internationally attractive and influential location in this
important field.