Lawrence University’s Björklunden. Source: Björklunden website.
A conversation with Prof. Thomas Baer
Not long ago the concept of Artificial Intelligence seemed like little more than fodder for science fiction movies. Today it’s transforming work, war and medicine at a rapidly accelerating pace.
In June, Björklunden will host a weeklong seminar that will dive into the ethics and impacts of AI and how it’s now touching nearly every aspect of our lives. Myles Dannhausen Jr. spoke to Thomas Baer, a Stanford University professor and Silicon Valley inventor who will be leading the seminar. They discussed the benefits of AI in streamlining the work of medical professionals and computer scientists, but also concerns about water and energy use and what it could mean for careers. A portion of the conversation has been edited and condensed below, but you can listen to the full discussion at doorcountypulse.com/podcasts.
MYLES DANNHAUSEN JR. (MD): Is the hype of AI technology and what it will do overblown?
THOMAS BAER (TB): I don’t think so. I think it is a revolutionary technology that we’ve really never seen before. And the adoption that’s taking place in Silicon Valley is unparalleled. And so just the way it is now impacting engineers and scientists and everyday people who learn how to use it is just astounding and remarkable.
MD: In the medical world, the most optimistic people think it’ll be a matter of years for AI to help us come up with breakthrough treatments or cures for certain devastating diseases. Are you that optimistic on that front?
TB: I’ve worked in the biomedical field for 30 years, working closely with doctors across the world and also at Stanford and the School of Medicine there. I would be cautious about the impact that it’s going to have in terms of breakthrough cures and things of that sort. Where it is really, I think, going to have a tremendous impact is democratizing the quality of care across the world. Where now there is going to be an AI tool that helps in the diagnosis and that can be at a very expert level. Again, there are hallucinations. You got to take it carefully. But for the most part, it’s going to provide access to a wide variety of source material that you just don’t get. So I think it’s going to have a major impact there.
Where the doctors have said that it has the greatest impact is in facilitating their own diagnosis by giving them current references in the field that they can go look up and say, “OK, based on this description of the symptoms, here are the most relevant resources or references which might facilitate your new diagnosis.”
MD: Do you worry about it eliminating the next version of you?
TB: Not me. I would be concerned about people who’ve spent a lot of time learning how to do coding. I’m an experimentalist and I’m a builder and innovator. So I build things and right now AI does not have that capability.
I do feel that it is going to be absolutely critical for me to become very fluent with how AI tools are incorporated into scientific disciplines, because without that, you’re going to be left behind.
MD: Do we have the energy infrastructure and the water infrastructure for it to continue to grow at the rate it does with the use that it entails?
TB: Excellent questions. I’ve spent a lot of time working in climate change mitigation, and looking very carefully at energy needs in the country and across the world. So this is an area that I’ve been very, very concerned about and have considerable experience in modeling the different aspects of energy demand, and I think the AI energy needs have to be put in perspective.
We already use IT technologies for applications that I’m not sure have a lot of intrinsic worth. You have to look at how much energy is used when you download a video on your cell phone, which is substantial, actually.
What AI is using right now is a small fraction of what we use for looking at YouTube videos and using the internet and electronic commerce. So it has to be viewed in that context. And I don’t want to minimize the impact that this can have on local energy prices or on resources like water access, but it’s not as bad as it has been portrayed to be in a lot of the press right now. Is it going to be? Well, it depends on how much it gets integrated into our society.
Exploring Artificial intelligence
June 14 – 19
The seminar is designed for those interested in understanding what AI really is, how it works and why it matters. No technical background is needed. Instructors are Thomas Baer, Stanford physicist and Silicon Valley innovator; Joseph Bruce, former Illinois associate circuit judge; Michael Clayville, Grammy-nominated musician and educator; and Mark Phelan, philosophy professor and AI Inquiry Group director.
Björklunden
lawrence.edu/bjorkseminars
