On 7 November, the Institute welcomed Dr Ayesha Khanna, an AI expert, Forbes-recognised entrepreneur, and thought leader. As the founder of Addo AI, she brought a unique perspective on the role AI has to play in streamlining our lives at home, work, and school.
It was interesting to find out that with the rapidly decreasing costs of Generative AI, its adoption across various industries is expanding, creating a wide range of opportunities. For example, Abridge uses GenAI to convert clinical conversations into structured clinical notes in real-time. Harvey AI aids lawyers by conducting contract analysis, performing due diligence, and generating draft arguments for cases. Coding assistant Amazon Q has drastically reduced the time required for infrastructure upgrades from 50 developer days to just hours, boosting efficiency and cutting costs. We also see AI technology becoming more integrated into everyday life, with innovations like Meta's AI glasses, Bytedance’s AI-powered earbuds, and Ola's AI-driven personal assistant, Ola Friend.
Today, much of AI operates alongside human co-pilots, but AI's next big leap is expected to be in agentic workflows. We were impressed to hear that Anthropic’s latest AI plugin, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, can follow commands, perform tasks and self-correct to optimise its actions to achieve predefined goals without human intervention.
The event also provided a perfect opportunity to explore AI's potential risks and ethical challenges. Contrary to popular media depictions of AI as a dangerous and uncontrollable force, Dr Khanna explained that significant progress has been made in managing risks, such as minimising hallucinations (creating nonsensical or inaccurate outputs) in generative AI models through advanced techniques and robust risk management frameworks. Considering the environmental impact of the computations required, various innovative sustainable solutions are already being tested, such as using fluid coolant for servers and powering data centres with small nuclear power reactors and renewable energy.
Dr Khanna also addressed concerns around AI's ethical implications, arguing that many ethical questions, such as the trolley problem, are unanswerable even by humans. For those ethical dilemmas we can address, governance structures are in place to ensure that AI models are aligned with human values. Ultimately, we should remember that AI works for us and should be treated as a tool rather than a sentient being.
While AI spurs education, Dr Khanna highlighted that education needs to change to help students prepare for the future. By incorporating AI into the curriculum, educational institutions can help students develop the necessary skills and understanding.
As AI continues to reshare job roles across all industries, we must be ready to work alongside it. Job descriptions will continuously evolve in this new age, and our skills must evolve with them. As a proponent of lifelong learning, Dr Khanna encourages both students and adults to develop confidence in managing AI.
The talk was enlightening and inspiring, and we look forward to the next AI-themed Centenary Speaker Talk in January, titled "The Future of Work in the Age of Gen AI" with Professor Sameer Hasija. We strongly encourage students and parents alike to attend!
This article was contributed by Annya S (Digital First) & Krishiv K (Sustainability) from the Head Team.
