An interview with Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends, Futures Researcher, Rudy van Belkom

We spoke to Rudy van Belkom, Futures Researcher at the Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends, ahead of his presentation (17 Sept 2020) at Inspired AI, the series of 10 cutting-edge and CPD accredited business, science, tech and networking online events gathering the global AI community and hosted by world-leading AI experts #withoutborders running from September to November 2020.

So Rudy, if you could solve any global problem in the world with AI, what would it be?:

AI systems are often blamed for being biased. But AI systems are as biased as the people who develop them. I would therefore like to use the power of AI to prevent biases and contribute to more equality.

Presuming that was solved, what would your second choice be?:

Society seems to be increasingly polarizing. I would like to use AI to create unity, instead of division.

What do you see as the 3 most important things for businesses in relation to AI at the moment?:

Protecting personal data

What do you see as the 3 most important things for humanity in relation to AI at the moment?:

How do you think AI will make its biggest mark in business/on humanity/the world in the next 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?:

The discussion surrounding AI often includes the nightmare scenario in which intelligent robots can take over control and we lose any form of selfdetermination. That nightmare scenario is based on the assumption that a separate system will have the capacity to exceed human intelligence. What is often overlooked is that, if very powerful specialized systems are connected to each other, that can also create an intelligent system. Instead of ‘General AI gone bad’, it becomes ‘Narrow AI everywhere’.

What’s the “coolest”/ most “wow-factor" thing you’ve seen so far in with the use of AI in the sector you work in?:

Algorithms help farmers spot crop disease like experts

What’s your biggest fear in relation to the application of AI?:

That we will see AI as a goal in itself and no longer be critical of when AI is the best solution and when the worst...

How do you think AI will cause human contact to change in the future?:

Like any development, AI will develop in waves. Where we will first automate as much human contact as possible, in the future we will discover more and more that we are social beings and continue to need physical contact. Just like COVID is now showing us. AI can then be used to optimize human contact and human values.

Which 2 people do you admire most in the world of AI in terms of their work?:

Stuart Russel

Why did you choose to present at Inspired AI this year?:

I had the honor of being nominated by my network as a speaker.

What are your personal goals from the event?:

I hope that my talk will inspire people to focus more on the integration of ethics in the design process of AI.

What are you most excited about at Inspired AI?:

The focus on ethics and 'AI for good' really appeals to me.

Join Rudy and the global AI community at Inspired AI (Sept-Nov 2020) to tackle head-on the most burning AI issues and set the global AI agenda. inspired-minds.co.uk/inspired-ai