Google boss: AI too important not to get right

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is “too important not to get right”, a top Google executive has told the BBC.

It has the potential for “huge breakthroughs” across industries, said Matt Brittin, president of Google for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

There has been a long-running global debate about the risks and rewards of AI.

Mr Brittin was speaking as Google agreed a joint research partnership with the University of Cambridge.

As part of it, the tech giant will provide a grant for the university’s new Centre for Human-Inspired AI, where academics and scientists from Cambridge and Google will come together.

The long-term agreement will focus on a number of areas including robotics, healthcare and climate change.

The partnership comes ahead of the UK’s AI safety summit at Bletchley Park, at which the government hopes some of the biggest names in the industry will convene.

It has been prompted by an intensifying debate about the potential benefits of AI – and attempts by regulators in multiple countries to devise regulations for the rapidly advancing field.

“If we get it right, there could be huge breakthroughs in health, the potential for unlimited, clean energy, and a society where everyone has opportunities through education and powerful, intelligent tools.

“So this is a huge opportunity for us to do that,” said Mr Brittin.

Vice president of research at Google DeepMind, and professor of information engineering at Cambridge University, Zoubin Ghahramani told the BBC the research the new centre would do could help address climate problems. – bbc.com