Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the biggest evolutionary shift that humanity has yet experienced.  AI has emerged as a game-changer, revolutionising industries and transforming the way we live and work.  We can already imagine the profound effect it will have on our civilisation in the upcoming decades.  Over the next three decades, our children and grandchildren will experience it, fully immersed in a world where AI shapes everyday living, work, and healthcare, as well as the understanding of society and reality.

One key aspect of AI is automation – the ability of machines to perform repetitive tasks with precision and efficiency. This has led to significant advances in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, finance, and transportation.  Another fascinating aspect of AI is its potential for emotional connection. Through sentiment analysis and facial recognition technologies, machines are now able to perceive human emotions and respond accordingly. This opens up possibilities for more personalised experiences in various domains like customer service or therapy.

Implications for the future

The implications of AI for the future are vast and far-reaching. Smart machines and automation have already begun to transform various industries. These advances can greatly improve efficiency and productivity, allowing humans to focus on more complex tasks.

One major implication of AI is its impact on swifter decision-making processes. With the ability to process and analyse massive amounts of data in a fraction of the time it would take a human, AI systems can provide valuable insights that aid in making informed decisions. This has the potential to revolutionise fields such as finance, marketing, and logistics.

Be prepared

No country and no society can afford to fall behind in the preparation for an AI-driven future. But what does this mean for us humans? How can we prepare ourselves for a future that is increasingly intertwined with AI? 

The International Monetary Fund recently published an AI Preparedness Index that assesses the level of AI preparedness across 174 countries, based on a rich set of macro-structural indicators that cover the countries’ digital infrastructure, human capital and labour market policies, innovation and economic integration, and regulation and ethics.

These four dimensions are likely relevant for smooth AI adoption.  The IMF computed each dimension by normalising and averaging a rich set of sub-indicators including, but not limited to, the presence of relevant digital infrastructure, sustained human capital investment, inclusive STEM expertise, labour and capital mobility, a vibrant R&D ecosystem, and the adaptability of legal frameworks to digital business models.

The indices show that Malta is relatively well-placed to adopt and exploit AI.  It has a score of 0.66 in AI Preparedness (AIP), supported by quite positive other indices, such as Digital Infrastructure, and Regulation and Ethics.  Other indices, like Innovation and Economic Integration or Human Capital and Labour Markets, lag somewhat behind.

However, we are not top-notch.  That badge goes to Singapore, which is ahead even of the USA.  At EU level we are average, and short of Denmark’s preparedness.  Why?  The HCLM index is quite revealing   ̶   Singapore, Denmark, and the USA all have a considerably better index.  It means that they are equipping their citizens with better skills for future AI technology.

In effect, it means that the countries concerned are finding and developing expertise in areas that complement automated processes rather than competing against them – creativity, critical thinking, adaptability, and empathy are just some examples.  It seems that I am back to the hobby-horses I keep mentioning in my opinion pieces.  I do so because they are invaluable assets in a world increasingly driven by human-machine collaboration.

Harnessing AI’s potential

Furthermore, fostering inter-disciplinary collaboration will prove essential in harnessing AI’s full potential while mitigating any potential dangers. Bringing together expertise from various fields like psychology, philosophy, ethics, and sociology (PPES), alongside technology, will ensure that AI development remains grounded in ethical considerations and serves humanity’s best interests. 

Now, many of these fields are covered in our educational curriculum at various levels.  The problem is that we seem to be rather good at ‘teaching’ (that is the transfer of knowledge and information) but rather less so in ‘instruction’  (that is enabling our students to perform practical tasks) and even less so in ‘education’ (that is the much broader effort that covers all areas of development of an individual).

The difference between these three approaches can be illustrated by referring to the ‘esame di maturitá’ in Italy, which tests the ability of students to bring together different subjects and make them relevant to the experience of school-work alternation.

For example, this year students had to prepare to bring together the ethical and moral limits of scientific research on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Oppenheimer’s birth; the 70 years of Italian television; the challenges and opportunities of an always-connected-future through Artificial Intelligence; the 50th anniversary of the referendum on divorce; and the causes and consequences of the Influencer crisis and future prospects.

Each year, Italian students are presented with texts and questions that are seemingly unrelated, but if one has been educated, rather than taught or instructed, he will see the common threads.  After all, that is a challenge that our Edward Debono called ‘lateral thinking’, which is essential for work in modern society.  This is precisely where our education system is failing.  We must change that if we want to be able to say ‘Aye, aye, we are AI-prepared.’

Photo: Rui Dias