Man and the machine what is their future

Man, Machine, and the Autonomous Future

By Priyanka Khaitan — DAV IoT Advisor

We are still the masters of our fate. Rational thinking, even assisted by any conceivable electronic computers, cannot predict the future. All it can do is to map out the probability space as it appears at the present and which will be different tomorrow when one of the infinity of possible states will have materialized. Technological and social inventions are broadening this probability space all the time; it is now incomparably larger than it was before the industrial revolution — for good or for evil. (Inventing the Future, written by Dennis Gabor in 1963)

What was the probability of the traditional taxi business being disrupted by an app on a marketplace? It wasn’t too long ago when we called a taxi hotline to hail a ride. Until Ubers of the world came along, that is. Uber, Lyft, Grab, Ola, and Didi. Each has built a sophisticated network that matches riders to drivers. Many benefited from disruption of the traditional taxi business. You didn’t need to own a million-dollar medallion to operate a cab. It created new and equal opportunities for anyone who owned a phone, and democratized transportation in the sharing economy.

Whether we realize it or not, networks have become core to our existence and we transit through multiple networks every day. Networks connecting passengers to drivers, buyers to sellers, lodgers to guests, carriers to shippers, networks of friends and professionals. These are networks owned, operated and dominated by companies that emerged in the last decade or two. However, if we are to learn anything from history, the present will be different tomorrow.

Automation and intelligence has been employed in industrial settings for decades. As it comes out of the cage, manifests itself in our everyday lives, takes over the monotonous, repetitive and labor-intensive jobs, time will tell whether it’s AI that poses an existential threat or humanity to itself. But, today, we are on the cusp of yet another technological revolution that will dramatically change how we interact, transact, consume services within and across networks, and the consequences thereof. The built-in intelligence and autonomy in self-driving vehicles, unmanned drones, and delivery robots, will give rise to a new era in computing. An era of man to machine network.

Imagine a world wide web of connected, autonomous, intelligent machines offering services on a network running on its own and at will. It is not far-fetched when I will discover and connect directly with machines sitting idle around me. The machine we entrust and empower to make decisions will, depending on its health, schedule and workload, decide to provide services. Or perhaps the machine might direct me to another machine. There will be no companies, no intermediaries, no humans running the network. Networks will become distributed, decentralized, democratized. A true sharing economy will emerge powered by new business models.

As the cities and legislation evolve to meet the needs of the impending autonomous future, we will see an influx of new and emerging technologies converging to redefine the transportation landscape and the overall industry. Everything will be running on smart contracts. IoT will become the plumbing and pipeline that will connect everything and through which data flows continuously across the network. The hub and spoke model will give way to the edge. Sensing, inferencing, and action will not be disparate processes, but rather pushed to the machines itself. Intelligence will be inbuilt and not an afterthought. Machines will transact with humans. Blockchain will re-establish the trust and transparency. And we humans will move up the value chain. For good or for evil, the advances in computing will continue to fuel the symbiotic relationship between man and machine.

As we reflect on the dichotomy of man and machine, the future is upon us, and we have to embrace the inevitable. I am excited about joining DAV Foundation, as an advisor, in its efforts to map out a probability space for a different tomorrow, to invent the future and create an Internet of Transportation. It is, after all, humanity’s inability to limit ourselves that pushes us beyond limits. And push we must to seek the truth, to empower and be empowered, and not outpowered, by technology.

Man Vs. Machine: How Humans Are Driving The Next Age Of Machine Learning

If you’ve been following the buzz around artificial intelligence lately, you may have gotten the impression that machines will soon take over the world and destroy it.

Hollywood is fueling the debate with the latest Marvel movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Columbia Pictures’ Ex Machina — two films about what bad can happen when machines go rogue and utilize big data to render an unpleasant judgment on humanity, either because machines are so task-oriented and void of any reasoning or because the humans they are learning from are corrupt themselves.

Some of the tech world’s most prominent visionaries have weighed in on the issue, with seemingly uncharacteristic beliefs: Microsoft founder Bill Gates shared concerns about the threat artificial intelligence will pose to humanity, and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who relies heavily on machine learning and artificial intelligence to communicate, argued that it could spell the end of the human race.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk even likened AI to “summoning a demon.” Well, there was that time a robot vacuum tried to suck up a woman’s head as she was sleeping on the floor, as well as the various times GPS led people off a cliff, into traffic and into large bodies of water. So, it’s clear that there are many cases in which machines can work better for us, but are we overreacting to the supposed threat of technology?

After all, this isn’t the first time brilliant minds and alarmists predicted dystopia and got it wrong. Fifteen years ago, many feared that all computers would fail during the transition between December 31, 1999, and January 1, 2000, creating all kinds of chaos and possibly bringing on the apocalypse — and somehow we’re still here.

As former Chief Architect for Lockheed Martin’s Visual World Labs, I studied the relationship between humans and machines for many years; and from my view, the central issue of the 21st century is not machines taking over, it’s how to achieve the right balance between humans and automation to optimize outcomes.

The most valuable resource we have in the universe is intelligence, which is simply information and computation; however, in order to be effective, technological intelligence has to be communicated in a way that helps humans take advantage of the knowledge gained. The optimal way to solve this problem is a combination of human and machine intelligence working together to solve the problems that matter most.

Soothing cultural anxiety is crucial to a foreseeable future with AI and machine learning ; however, two of the biggest factors preventing this are fear and miseducation. People simply don’t know enough about how artificial intelligence and machine learning can benefit us; and from what they do know, the future looks like an epic battle scene between Skynet and Terminator. Now is the time to separate fact from fiction and explore the ways machine and human intelligence can and is working for us.

In fact, the experiment allowed them to better understand patterns of minor accidents, which are rarely reported. They discovered that minor accidents occur more often on city streets than freeways, drivers are prone to different mistakes while driving at night versus during the day, rear-end accidents are most common and intersections are among the most dangerous places on the road. More importantly, they were able to use this knowledge to predict when an accident is likely to occur and avoid it.

The transition from propeller-driven aircraft to jet aircraft also gives us a good example of a defining moment in the balanced dance between the combined effort of human and machine.

Pilot training up through World War II focused primarily on pilot decision-making, eyesight and their physical skills operating the throttle, stick and pedals together. It wasn’t until we evolved to jet aircraft that the pace of human decision-making and the increased complexity of automated systems required a paradigm shift in training.

The core problem was that human brains had not had an upgrade since the Pleistocene epoch, yet jets required human decisions at more than triple the tempo of propeller-driven aircraft. The key to successfully flying a jet aircraft was learning what to outsource to the automated systems and what to retain for human management.

F35 pilots have taken this to a new level as each pilot is now equipped with their own “F35 brain” and when assigned an aircraft, the aircraft receives the brain specific to that pilot and their mission. So, each aircraft operates differently, tuned to each pilot’s preferences, and to the specific mission for that pilot.

The future is bright as we’re starting to use what knowledge we do have to solve problems that save lives as with the use of micromappers to speed up response time and efficiency of disaster relief in Nepal. In all of these cases, we see that machine technology works best when it is informed by human behavior.

Soothing cultural anxiety of AI and machine learning is paramount to its future. We can’t be too scared by unrealistic scenarios being proffered by some of our greatest minds or Hollywood, to prevent us from working in just the right mix of AI and machine learning to solve very real problems.

Man and Machine Won’t “Merge” (And You Should Be Glad)

Many think that the Man will someday merge with the Machines. You better hope not.

Scientists, science fiction writers and futurists often discuss the ongoing development of robots, computers, artificial intelligence (AI), etc, and how that development will impact human society. A popular opinion among them is that, when computers and AI get to X level of cleverness, the next step will be for humanity and the computers to “merge” with each other, to evolve into a single entity and bring on the much-prophesied “Singularity.”

It’s a wonderful, science fiction-y notion. But it won’t happen that way.

I don’t say this because I believe it’s completely impossible for some kind of human-AI merging to happen. In fact, evolutionarily-speaking, such symbioses are the basis of most life on Earth. What we consider a human being is, in fact, an incredible combination of individual life forms, from microbes up. None of the different life forms directly communicate with each other, each just does its own thing, but all work in concert to support the whole. Every modern animal on Earth exists as a combination of life forms in symbiosis, and the loss of too many of even the tiniest of life forms can compromise, or even kill, the larger host. This symbiosis has developed over the history of life on Earth, and there’s no reason to expect that to change.

But those symbioses are at micro scales, with the lesser life forms occupying and supporting the greater life forms, as our microbiome supports the human host. When it comes to macro scales, life does not support such symbiosis. Nowhere in nature is there an example of a mouse, say, that somehow merged with a monkey in order to more easily open nuts to obtain its food… or a bird that merged with, say, a rabbit in order to take refuge underground. Evolution just doesn’t work that way. A mouse may evolve more dexterous fingers, or a bird may evolve claws and a beak that are better suited to digging. But improved hybrids of different species just don’t happen: A mouse remains a mouse, and a bird remains a bird.

In an example closer to home, Mankind has developed over the years as it learned to work with the wolf and its inherent skills at hunting to improve our hunting ability… then to work with the cat and its ability to hunt small game to keep insects and vermin out of the food surpluses we accumulated during our non-nomadic development. And those relationships have been very successful. But at no point in human history has there been a need for humans to “merge” with dogs or cats. Instead, we’ve learned how to domesticate those animals, to develop a relationship that benefits both parties. We taught them how to utilize their sharper nose and ears, faster speed and predatory intelligence to do tasks for us, in exchange for services rendered (food, warmth, protection and affection). And now we act to further take care of dogs and cats, as species, along with other animals we’ve domesticated, and many others we support simply because of their roles in the healthy maintenance of the natural world.

And there’s no doubt that we love our dogs, we love our cats; we provide services for them that we deny other animals (and sometimes other humans); we try to protect and take care of them, and we try to deal with the issues we’ve created by, for instance, allowing dog and cat populations to run rampant in some areas. But we didn’t need to merge with them; nor is anyone talking about, or looking forward to, merging dogs or cats with humans to create a superior species out of both animals. We have a symbiotic relationship, at the macro level, that works just fine.

We should take this as a more likely example of what our future could look like, if AI reaches a point at which it is “better than humans” in many ways. As AI so develops, we can expect it to take over many of the tasks of daily living from humans, including many of the tasks of trying to consciously support the natural world around us, a role humans accepted upon our realization that we could aid environmental stabilization and progress. (In fact, it would be my hope that AI would be able to do a much better job at environmental support than humans have done, but that’s an issue for another article.)

When we reach this stage, we might see AI assuming the dominant position on the planet currently enjoyed by humans. AI would run the world; and because it will therefore understand the value of having a healthy ecosystem, keeping the planet from being consumed by a runaway greenhouse effect or ice age and becoming impossible to support anything — including machines — it will support that ecosystem, including the animals on the planet that are now a valuable part of that ecosystem. It might even value those life forms, if it understands how unique life is in this universe, and want to preserve them.

And one of those animal species — one that has proven to be highly intelligent, physically adept and capable of advanced social and organizational interaction that makes it greater than the sum of its parts — are humans.

In the same way that humans were able to take advantage of the superior hunting skills of dogs and cats to aid them and make their world better, AI will be able to take advantage of humanity’s superior fine motor skills, visual acuity, ability to operate in a variety of environments, and subtle and precise communications abilities, making humans the effective tools that allow AI to preserve itself and make the world better for all of us.

And yes; I’ve just described humans as animals that will eventually be domesticated by AI, just as we domesticated cats and dogs. It’s not what most people assume is in Mankind’s future, to be subordinate to machines. But if you assume AI will someday be smarter than us, you must understand that AI won’t want to “merge” with humans, any more than humans today want to “merge” with cats or dogs.

And if you think about it, since a merging similar to the symbioses between microbes and humans would likely make the inferior humans the microbes supporting the superior AI… that’s likely not something for humans to look forward to, either. Who wants to be a microbe?

No, we’d be much better off in a domesticated arrangement under AI. AI will understand how to communicate with us, how to offer us something of value in exchange for our services, how to teach us new skills to use for everyone’s benefit, and how to reward us for a job well done. We can have a macro-symbiotic relationship with machines that other animals have with us… and it can work just fine.

If AI values its arrangement with humans, and so wants to keep us happy, maybe the only thing humans will get will be comfortable homes designed to support our social and psychological tendencies, food to nourish our bodies, protection against the elements, the occasional task chosen for us because of our suitability for it, and AI’s knowledge and efforts to improve the lot of humans who don’t have all those things; and again, hopefully smart AI will be able to do a much better job at all that than even the best-meaning humans have done for other animals, domesticated and otherwise.

Maybe, at that point, humans will no longer be the dominant intelligence on the planet. But more of us should be better taken care of, and the planet as a whole should be in better shape. Honestly, I can imagine worse futures.

And even this idea isn’t the only possible future of Man and AI working together. Anyone who’s seen Marvel’s Iron Man and Avengers movies knows genius inventor Tony Stark, the man who creates a sophisticated wearable machine capable of giving him superhuman abilities. But he doesn’t directly control every aspect of his Iron Man suit; he uses a sophisticated AI program, named Jarvis (and, later, Friday), that takes his orders, often anticipates Tony’s needs based on its understanding of the situation and its knowledge of the man, and manipulates the fine control of the suit as required. And there’s no “merging” involved there, either; just a Man and a Machine, exercising their ability to understand and communicate with each other.

There’s the equally strong (and maybe even greater) possibility that the future of man and machine will be typified by the macro-symbiosis between Tony Stark and Jarvis/Friday, working in harmony, utilizing their combined skills and strengths to solve their problems and take themselves to new heights together.

Whichever future you see for humans and AI, you should come to the same conclusion: Merging? That’s for microbes. For more advanced life forms, macro-symbiosis is a better way to work together.

“The hallmark of science — and, indeed, science fiction — must always be intelligence.” — Steven Lyle Jordan

An evolving partnership: The future of man and machine

«When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.» Business leaders likely weren’t the intended audience when Benjamin Franklin uttered his now famous quote. However, his words likely resonate deeply with leaders in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace who know that for their business to thrive, they must be prepared to adapt and embrace new technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of digital technologies transforming business, but its advancement often raises a polarizing debate. On one side are those eager to embrace an increasing role for the machines; on the other, are those who fear that machines will push people out of jobs and could take over our world.

Download our whitepaper on profitable digital transformation in sci-tech R&D to find out more or contact us to discuss your specific needs.

Humans and machines today: An interdependent relationship

Try to remember all the things you’ve learned in your life. Can you do it? For most people, the answer is unequivocally no. And that’s where machines play a starring role. Unlike humans, machines never forget. They have the ability to remember every data input and every pattern established. They also have the ability to process massive amounts of information at a rapid speed. For perspective, a new development from UCLA researchers processes data with such efficiency that it can identify an unfamiliar object at the speed of light.

It is this eternal memory of massive volumes of data that allows machines to identify patterns and make inferences most humans simply could never discover on their own. However, machines’ exceptional capabilities only go so far—ultimately, human expertise and context are needed to achieve big data’s full potential.

This is fundamentally true because AI utilizes what has been already learned. AI cannot create new knowledge or valid new scientific context, and cognitive advancement is limited by certainty of context. A human must create the necessary data structure and training routines to impart information to the machines, empowering its pattern-recognition capabilities.

Consider, for example, a designer examining the context of shoes. A machine without specialized training may never, with certainty, identify all relevant shoes versus other foot coverings because it cannot recognize the diversity of applications shoes fulfill—a search for shoes in reference to fashion could yield designer heels, in reference to protection could yield hiking boots, and in reference to comfort could yield slippers. All of these results are right, but a machine requires initial human insight as to this context to evolve its frame of reference. The machine perceives that these associations all fall within the realm of shoes and produces the best possible set of shoe findings.

Beyond implementing this ontology of relations, humans keep a machine apprised of newly evolving valid context and correct errors as they arise. Consider the shoes again. Once the machine understands the various terminology and ontological associations with shoes, it may infer that other things applied to a foot, such as hosiery, bandages or nail polish, are also relevant as shoes—but that’s not the case. Consistent fine-tuning of the data structure and relationships advances the machine’s capabilities and ensures greater accuracy.

Humans are also essential in optimal handling of real-time crises that machines aren’t equipped to navigate alone. Take an aircraft, for example. Most commercial aircraft today operate frequently using autopilot, but when an unexpected issue arises, the human pilot steps in to troubleshoot. While the machine will inform and support the problem-solving process—such as, flagging a mechanical error—the pilot will ultimately manage the situation with judgement that the machine may not be able to provide without supervision. When unexpected situations arise, machines often lack sufficient context to be effective in unaided decision making.

This collaborative «give-and-take» is the cornerstone of the human-machine relationship today. Machines enable humans to process large volumes of information faster and solve more challenging problems by finding patterns in that data. Likewise, humans enable the technology to evolve and deliver the best possible results. But, will this relationship continue to be one of collaboration in the future?

Humans and machines tomorrow: A symbiotic partnership

There are many who fear that as machines get smarter, humans will be unnecessary. There’s no question that machine learning capabilities will continue to advance. However, in the world of science, I truly believe the man-machine relationship will remain symbiotic, and in fact, become even more essential.

In the future, we will confront problems that don’t even exist today. Our quest for new discoveries and innovation will become increasingly complex and the amount of data available will be unimaginable. Without a doubt, we will need machines more than ever to help us navigate and make sense of it. But ultimately, humans will continue to be essential to the process as well, setting new constructs that enable greater machine learning and applying machine-gleaned insights to drive new discoveries.

Leaders today and tomorrow: Never stop adapting

As leaders look to the future, Franklin’s words will continue to ring true—a willingness to embrace change will be critical. So, how can you be adaptable and stay ahead of the curve?

First, companies must not only prioritize creating and implementing new technology, but also fostering a team of people with the necessary skills and expertise to get the most out of that technology. Long gone will be the days when technology ruled the investment plan; people must also be a top priority. This sentiment is reflected in a recent PwC survey of global CEOs in which more than 50% confirmed they are actively exploring the benefits of humans and machines working together. In the same survey, nearly 40% stated that they are considering the impact of artificial intelligence on future skill needs.

And that’s not all. Future leaders—and leaders today—must also help shift the workplace mindset by fostering a culture that enables and encourages effective collaboration between humans and machines. «Either-or» won’t work. At CAS, for example, we’ve spent more than a century curating and managing the highest quality scientific content. But the way we work today is very different from 111-years ago when CAS was founded. At that time, the primary mechanism we used for information storage was index cards. Since then, we’ve evolved our approach many times over, and today we marry specialized technologies with our team of hundreds of expert scientists to deliver a 360-degree view of global innovation and actionable insights to our users.

Are you and your organization ready to embrace new technologies to gain an information advantage? Learn how CAS can help your business accelerate its future with customized solutions that merge best-in-class data, technology and human insight.

We’re a global long-term investor, with purpose in our hearts and the future on our minds

Purpose of Funds

Learn how we invest

Taking a disciplined approach to long-term value investing.

Our Core Strengths

Learn about our portfolio

A portfolio as diversified and resilient as the country we serve.

Subscribe to ThinkSpace

GIC does not provide investment services to the public. If anyone offers you investment services using GIC’s name or brand, do not reply or click on any links. Find out more.

We use Cookies to offer you a better experience. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of the Cookies in accordance to our Cookie Policy.

Stay one thought ahead. Get our latest insights in your inbox with ThinkSpace.

Man vs Machine: The Importance of Human Capital

Man vs Machine: The Importance of Human Capital

06 Jan, 2020 ∙ 6 Min Read

The world of work is changing – automation and digitalisation have significant implications for jobs.

But machines cannot compete with humans on creativity, empathy, and decision-making.

The key to success in the future economy is to maximise strengths of both humans and machines, for better overall outcomes.

This article captures views expressed by Deanna Ong, GIC’s Chief People Officer, at a panel “Man vs Machine” organised by the Nanyang Business School Alumni Office.

In this age of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), workers may worry machines will take over their jobs. But by leveraging the very traits that make us human, we can ensure our continued relevance in the workplace of tomorrow.

The growing trend of automation and digitalisation

Automation and digitalisation are not new. With the first industrial revolution in the late 1700s, we saw the use of mechanical production, steam power, and railroads. The second revolution took place in the late 1800s with the advent of electricity and mass production. In the 1970s, the third revolution furthered automation through information technology (IT), electronics, and computers.

We are in the midst of yet another wave of change, driven by cloud computing, AI, advanced digitalisation, and the Internet of Things. Our lives have already been transformed by technology.

This affects all industries. Software and AI-powered technologies can retrieve information, handle inventories and logistics, prepare briefs, provide financial services, translate documents, audit statements, diagnose diseases, and even mix cocktails and prepare barista-quality coffee. Computers offer a 24/7 service – processing vast amounts of data faster, more reliably, and more objectively. Going forward, the next generation of robotics and automation will be even more transformative.

The impact on jobs

There have been many forecasts on the impact of automation on jobs. According to a 2018 World Economic Forum study, more than 75 million jobs may be lost in the next four years as companies shift to more automation. Another 133 million new jobs will emerge in the same period, as businesses develop a new division of labour between humans and machines. Machines will create more jobs than they displace by 2022.

With the strengths that sophisticated machines offer, and the shrinking workforce, the trend of growing automation is expected to continue.

Where humans hold the advantage

But humans are superior to machines in three important ways:

With machines assisting in repetitive, rule-based tasks, humans can spend more time on higher-value work that requires cognitive skills, creativity, and judgment – characteristics that machines lack.

What workers can do to be future-ready

In many areas, machines will not be able to replace human workers. Instead, man and machine together can produce even better results. This has happened through past industrial revolutions, and will most likely continue in the future.

Humans should therefore focus on doing what machines cannot. Do what complements the use of automation, hone creative thinking skills, embrace fresh ideas, and be adaptable, especially as newer industries and business models develop.

Humans should also be prepared that many jobs will be transformed, and new jobs will be created. The adjustment process in the short to medium term can be painful, due to the mismatch of skills between existing and future jobs as well as the ever-increasing rate of change. To manage this, workers must adopt a growth mindset and a spirit of continual learning, and always be open to upgrading and reskilling themselves.

A future-ready GIC

As part of our continuous drive for enterprise excellence, GIC leverages AI, data analytics, machine learning, and robotic process automation for our day-to-day processes.

With over 1,500 employees, we also reinforce a culture of openness, empathy, and innovation. We are committed to developing our people, providing opportunities for them to learn and grow, and supporting them in taking charge of their own career development.

For instance, GigHub is a platform where GIC employees can collaborate on self-initiated projects outside of their job scope, to improve GIC. Our in-house innovation lab, GIC Labs, creates novel and customised solutions, and undertakes research on tech trends that can be implemented enterprise-wide. Technology specialists are embedded in our investment teams, so that data analytics and insights can be applied for better underwriting and investment decisions. GIC School, our dedicated Learning & Development academy, offers individual and team development programmes to complement on-the-job training.

At the same time, we recognise that effective teams are key to GIC’s success. All managers must live up to a comprehensive, rigorous set of leadership expectations. Teams also undergo curated programmes that facilitiate a high-trust environment built on meaningful relationships, honest conversations, and positive team energy.

Ultimately, automation and digitalisation are here to stay. To adapt to this changing reality, workers need not be fearful of machines. A more constructive way of thinking about this is to consider how humans and machines can add value to each other, with each party’s strengths filling in for the other’s weaknesses.

Together, man and machine have the makings of a formidable alliance.