The world lives in constant transformation. Geopolitical challenges and technological innovations redefine the present and mark the future. To show a button: the United States presidency threatens to alter the global balance, affecting everything from the war in Ukraine to the tension in the Middle East, where conflicts and instability do not subside. At the same time, as the new engine of an automated economy, questioning the human role and reconfiguring the labor market, in education, health, among many others. In the midst of this avalanche of uncertainties, a scenario is emerging where change is not only inevitable, but the only certainty.
“New technologies can open up infinite possibilities for us,” said Pepa Bueno, director of EL PAÍS, during the inauguration of the Trends 2024 Event, a forum organized by the newspaper in collaboration with EY, GroupM, Iberdrola, Iberia, Mapfre, the Organization of Ibero-American States, Redeia, Santander and Telefónica.
However, he has warned, well, some of these advances may arrive in “deceptive packaging” that hides risks from the past that we thought had been overcome. “It is our obligation [como periodistas] distinguish those changes that can really improve our lives from those that, in reality, only cover up old threats that push us into danger.”
Hence, the Trends Event was held with the motto “Know to advance.” Under this premise, , has spoken about the risks posed by the advance of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly in its generative version. “AI will modify the nature of the human being,” he stated during the first day of the meeting, pointing out that the growing sophistication of these tools represents one of the great challenges for humanity.
In fact, in a few days we will mark the anniversary of the launch of the (November 30, 2022), a milestone that, according to Sadin, marks “an intellectual and creative turning point” that is reconfiguring society. “We live in a serious moment, of great gravity, but we do not see it,” he expressed, referring to the impact of digital technologies developed in the last two decades and the dizzying speed with which they are transforming daily life, which makes it difficult to understand the present clearly and immediately.
Sadin—who just published Spectral life: Thinking about the era of the metaverse and generative artificial intelligences (Caja Negra Editora, 2024)—deeply questions the way in which artificial intelligence interprets and makes decisions. For example, Waze, which, based on vast volumes of data, not only predicts traffic conditions, but also suggests optimal routes for drivers.
These types of tools, Sadin believes, inaugurate a new “cognitive dimension” in which action recommendations are no longer the result of individual decisions, but of algorithms that process large amounts of information. For the philosopher, this dependence marks an anthropological event, as well as a profound change in the relationship between human beings and technology and decision-making power.
In his opinion, these changes affect even the most personal decisions, such as purchases. “Have you heard any legislator talk about how AI acts in an Amazon warehouse?” Sadin questioned, criticizing the legal vacuum and the lack of a deep debate around the decision-making power of these AI systems. With each recommendation, from what sneakers to buy to what content to watch, our behavior is modeled imperceptibly, and this, he claims, is giving AI a “cognitive superiority” that could limit our autonomy.
AI in the world of work
Currently, AI systems are expanding strongly in all economic sectors. They come to the classrooms and engage in long discussions in areas such as healthcare (two of the main protagonists on this first day of the 2024 Trends Event). But there is one place where they have burst into force: “There are changes in which AI systems are becoming more and more present in the world of work,” said Phoebe V. Moore, professor at the University of Essex. This advance is not accidental. “Big technology businesses, big techare calling for greater advancement of AI in the labor market at rates that have not been seen.”
Moore has noted that there is abundant evidence that large companies, such as emotion analysis and facial recognition, in managing their work environments and their employees. Faced with this, the specialist calls to strengthen supervision and control in data collection, to guarantee a fair balance between corporate interests and workers’ rights, and to ensure explicit and well-informed consent for the use of personal information.
But technological advances also imply a step forward in issues such as cancer, where medicine has taken giant steps in detection, analysis, treatment and prevention. “We are at a crucial moment to understand the potential and limits of AI,” said Miguel Luengo-Oroz, CEO of , fellow of the Obama Foundation and entrepreneur Ashoka.
This expert highlights the transformative role of AI in the healthcare field and the way in which this technology is redefining practices in almost all sectors and on three scales: at the individual level, in professional interaction and in public health policies. . For Luengo-Oroz, AI will become an omnipresent tool in the workplace, and in the world of health, this evolution is already happening. In his opinion, AI has given health professionals “superpowers” that were previously unthinkable, improving everything from early diagnosis to personalization of treatments.
This power, the expert explained, is not only in the hands of specialists: patients are also more empowered. “Today, the patient sits down to make decisions alongside the doctor, with a much higher level of information and understanding,” he stated. Luengo-Oroz emphasizes that the ethical and responsible implementation of these technologies will be essential to ensure that these advances truly benefit society as a whole, and do not worsen inequalities.
