TECH NEWS – Artificial intelligence reflects who we are as individuals. Therefore, it needs to be regulated in a targeted and responsible manner, and made accessible to everyone, so that we can harness technology for the well-being of society, as concluded by the latest research led by Corvinus University experts.

What would the world look like a few decades from now if people lived in harmony with increasingly advanced artificial intelligence? This is the question explored in their latest article by researchers from Corvinus University of Budapest and the University of Public Service, which was recently published in the prestigious journal AI & Society.

When thinking about the future, our ideas are usually limited by practical constraints. However, if we reverse this conventional logic and instead of passively adapting to what is likely to happen, we actively explore what a good future could look like and determine the steps needed to achieve it, we can discover the world we truly desire. This is exactly what the research team consisting of Alexandra Köves, Katalin Fehér, Lilla Vicsek, and Máté Fischer has done.

During the summer of 2022, they worked with a cross-sector group of Hungarian experts for several days. The team gathered insights on how 16 experts envisioned an ideal future by 2060 and identified the necessary steps to achieve this desired state over the coming decades. The researchers then summarized how artificial intelligence can contribute to a safe and fair future and what guidelines should be followed to regulate this new technology.

The Goal: Balance Between Nature, Humanity, and Technology

One of the key findings of the research is that artificial intelligence should ultimately serve well-being. However, a harmonious relationship with society and nature can only emerge if people consciously develop technology in this direction. “The ideal future can be achieved if stakeholders do not relinquish control over AI and its regulation – even if this requires making morally grounded decisions,” emphasized Alexandra Köves, an ecological economist, associate professor at Corvinus, and the study’s lead author.

The study also revealed that maintaining human well-being is possible if anyone can learn about AI, understand its operation, and access it in a decentralized, personalized manner. It is crucial that AI remains publicly accessible and not solely driven by profit-oriented interests. In theory, AI offers opportunities to improve public services and optimize resource allocation; however, in its current form, it has clear environmental impacts.

The research emphasizes that the respondents believe in human-AI collaboration. The participants stress the need for balance between nature, humanity, and technology, highlighting the importance of broad responsibility and expert involvement in AI development and regulation. After all, technology reflects who we are.

A Quantum Metaphor for AI Integration

The emergence of artificial intelligence is disrupting the functioning of societies and economies, reshaping human relationships, and already influencing the future of humanity – intertwining with everything. Drawing from quantum entanglement theory in quantum physics, the researchers interpreted AI as part of a complex system.

“AI will become part of our environment, and just like with ecological systems, we must strive for balance here as well,” noted sociologist Lilla Vicsek, another author of the study from Corvinus. This interconnectedness brings responsibility: as AI affects social justice, ecological sustainability, societal resilience, and well-being, ethical considerations will become increasingly important.

Source: Corvinus Press Release