Considered one of the most influential scientists in the world in the area of artificial intelligence (AI), Professor Anderson Rocha, from the Institute of Computing (IC), opened with a warning the seminar Perspectives of Generative AI (IAG) for Unicamp, organized by the Executive Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (Detic) and held this Thursday (28).
“AI is not simply a tool. It is different from, for example, a Swiss army knife. AI is inherently political,” warned the professor before an audience of experts, students and staff who filled the University’s Convention Center and discussed, throughout the day, the implications of technology in teaching, research and management at Unicamp.
“And it is political because it directly affects our lives. It changes our choices, limits our choices and, sometimes, doesn’t even let us make choices,” said the professor, coordinator of the IC’s Recod.ai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, which brings together 330 experts from around the world and is the largest laboratory of its kind at a university in Latin America. “And when you have these dynamics, which affect power, choices, democracy, it is a sign that we have an important discussion to have.”
A sub-area of artificial intelligence, IAG focuses on creating new content, such as texts and images, through machine learning models that use patterns extracted from existing data.
The seminar also featured the presence of multi-artist Zaika dos Santos, founder of the innovation company Afrofuturismo Arte e Stem, which combines emerging technologies with data sciences, knowledge from the humanities and exact sciences and the creation of art and design pieces through IAG.
Singer, composer, art educator, visual artist and black researcher, Santos said she tries to unite new technologies with ancestral elements and, from there, promote social transformations and the inclusion of black populations.
The singer said she works in different areas. “I’m not going to choose between humanities, exact sciences, or biology. I work in the middle,” she said. “Without tending to technophobia or techno-utopia, I’m in between,” she added, citing Lúcia Santaella’s book Is artificial intelligence smart?.
The seminar also discussed topics such as the use of generative AI in the classroom, experiences of teaching computing with AI, the opportunities and challenges of AI in scientific publications, the impacts of AI on public management and administration, and the use of AI for healthcare.
XNUMXst step
Detic director Ricardo Dahab said the seminar on IAG was just the first in a series of debates on the subject. “This is the first step in our journey of understanding this brave new world. And we hope it is not [a brave new world] in the sense of Aldous Huxley’s work,” he said.
The Provost of Graduate Studies, Rachel Meneguello, noted that AI has the potential to transform society, improve many aspects of people’s lives and boost economic development. Meneguello, however, said she was concerned. “The side that concerns us is the aspect of creation. Of creativity. The [aspect] of original thinking.”
The Vice-Rector of Undergraduate Studies, Ivan Toro, noted that the IAG can significantly change the way courses are taught in educational institutions and the learning experience of students. And he issued a warning. “Professors must use this tool in a transparent, responsible and ethical manner, ensuring data protection and equal access.”
The Vice-Rector for Research, Ana Fratini, spoke about the importance of the debate around AI. “This is a crucial moment. We must discuss all the good things about this new technology, but also all the bad things that can come from it,” she said. “Because everything that is created for good can be used for evil.”
Unicamp’s rector, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles – who participated in the seminar’s opening ceremony – said he was an optimist. For Meirelles, dilemmas regarding the appropriate or inappropriate use of new technologies are part of the human journey.
“The history of humanity shows that, somehow, we have managed to make the benefits outweigh the potential harm,” he argued. “The best way for us to deal with this is to face the problem in a positive way and to be able to insert ethics and civilizing values into the use of these technologies.”
