Power and Peril of AI with Michael Kanaan

Michael Kanaan is the author of the best-selling book T-AI and the former chairperson of AI for the U.S. Air Force, Headquarters Pentagon.

In this far-reaching discussion, Michael provides perspectives on the peril of anthropomorphizing AI and how differentiating between intelligence and consciousness creates clarity. He shares his own reckoning with humility while writing T-AI, popular misconceptions about AI, where we can go awry in addressing – or not addressing – AI’s inherent dualities, pros and cons of the technology’s ready availability, and why unflinching due diligence is critical to deploying AI safely, ethically, and responsibly.

After a brief diversion into the perils of technology that is too responsive to our whims (ahem, social media), Kimberly and Michael discuss the importance of bridging the digital divide so everyone can contribute to and benefit from AI. Michael also makes the case for how AI may have the greatest impact on subject matter experts and decision makers and why explainability is overrated. And, finally, why AI’s future will be determined not by data scientists but by artists, sociologists, teachers and more.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Our next episode will feature Tess Posner: an educator, social entrepreneur, and CEO of AI-4-All. Subscribe to Pondering AI now so you don’t miss it.