Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian says AI isn't here to replace you - it's here to help you keep up. In an interview with the tech newsletter Big Technology, Kurian dismissed the hype that AI will automate so much work that it will cost everyone their jobs. He said AI's role for the foreseeable future is to bridge the gap between what workers can do today and what they aspire to do in the future. "I think there is definitely a middle ground," he said.
The idea has now reached a new zenith. A startup called Halo is releasing a pair of smart glasses that will record and transcribe all your conversations and use it to beam you AI-powered insights. It'll remember details you forgot and recall what someone told you they like, the startup says, arming you with facts it looks up on the fly and answering questions you don't know the answer to so you can look like a genius.
Sometimes it seems the most direct route is to automate wherever possible, and to keep iterating until we get it right. Here's why that would be a mistake: imperfect automation is not a first step toward perfect automation, anymore than jumping halfway across a canyon is a first step toward jumping the full distance. Recognizing that the rim is out of reach, we may find better alternatives to leaping-for example, building a bridge, hiking the trail, or driving around the perimeter.