The central paradox of the inexorable advance of artificial intelligence and automation is that some of the most important ways humans will add value in the future are activities that we undervalue now: social interactions, creativity, and caregiving.

But how do we change the culture to be able to monetize those contributions? For centuries, compensation has been minimal to nothing for caring for children and aging parents. The recent expansion of the service economy has created many caregiver jobs, but these tend to be low paid. Our economy doesn't reflect how important the human touch is, much less that it will be even more so in the future.

Recent articles about Zora, the robot caregiver that (I can’t bring myself to say “who”) is being tested in French nursing homes as a cure for loneliness, talked about how some elderly resident were developing emotional attachments to Zora. But it should be painfully obvious how far short Zora falls.

The futurist CK Kerley likes to say “Humanity is the killer app!” And she’s right.

But that doesn’t change the central economic dilemma around caregiving and social interaction. How do we compensate the most valued activities in society?

Over the weekend, I finished reading Kai-Fu Lee’s terrific book, AI Superpowers : China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. He not only gives a clear description of the growth of new technologies and their socio-economic implications, but he also adds a human perspective.

Lee also points out, rightly, that the biggest danger in AI is its impact on labor markets and social systems, potentially creating dystopian scenarios of social unrest and destruction. He offers some insights into how to offset some of the resulting issues. His goal is no less than the creation of a system that provides for everyone, using AI generated wealth to build a “more compassionate, loving, and ultimately human” society.

Utopian? Perhaps. But he’s laid out the right questions and goals and thinking creatively about how to get there.

He’s skeptical of the universal basic income idea –basically, that everyone would get a certain amount of money to meet their basic needs-- that is popular among many in the tech community. UBI would be exorbitantly expensive if it were truly universal, which is a big "if" for practical, political and ethical reasons. More important, in his view, is the problem that UBI might soothe the consciences of the mega-rich of the technology world, but it fails to recognize the human need for purpose.

Instead of UBI, Lee proposes a social investment stipend. In his conception, the government would pay this salary to “those who invest their time and energy in those activities that promote a kind, compassionate, and creative society” involving care work, community service, and education.

“Providing a stipend in exchange for participation in prosocial activities reinforces a clear message: It took efforts from people all across society to help us reach this point of economic abundance. We are now collectively using that abundance to recommit ourselves to one another, reinforcing the bonds of compassion and love that make us human,” he wrote.

Like UBI, such a stipend could be financed by gradually phasing in higher taxes on tech companies making astronomical profits and generating huge productivity gains.

Coincidentally, I was just reading an article in a recent issue of The Economist that used a term, “abnormal profits.” Though the magazine was talking about the negative consequences of industries dominated by just a few giant companies with pricing power, that could apply here as well.

Lee makes another important point: that there is actually a connection between the exponential, scalable growth of tech companies and the economic reality of human care giving and other of the “prosocial” activities he describes: “When someone builds a great company around human care work, they cannot digitally replicate their services and blast them out across the globe. Instead, the business must be built piece by piece, worker by worker.” In other words, it’s not the kind of business a tech VC investor would “waste” their time with.

Lee sees human care companies as another important part of the future of work, and a role for a new kind of multiple bottom line investing for impact. In this kind of company, the creation of meaningful jobs -and in turn, the positive impact on society and civility- is part of the return on investment being measured: conversation partners for the elderly, coaches for youth sports, oral history gatherers, for example.

Lee doesn’t go into the weeds on how a tax on "abnormally profitable" IT companies would work. But it occurs to me that tax policy might cut both ways: on the one hand, higher taxes on tech giants dominating their markets, and lower taxes on companies that meet clear, consistent impact investing standards.

Lots of food for thought.

#futureofwork #ai #automation #ubi #socialinvestment #impactinvesting #zora #robot #caregiver #policy

AI Superpowers is a book on current state of affairs of AI. The author provides so many examples of AI in US as well as China. There are 4 waves of Ai that are described. It is interesting as well as informative. It goes into depth like a textbook.. Even laymen can understand the applications of AI.
You get a good understanding of how different countries have different motivations to improve their technology in various sectors - private and public.

AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9781328546395

Most thought provoking book I have ever read.

This is a must read if you want:
• to know what AI is
• to know how AI evolved and the experts behind it
• to know the future of AI
• to know application possibilities, compelling arguments supporting opinions, and the expected leaders of AI implementations to come
• to understand the potential impact of AI, or AGI, on jobs and the economy worldwide
• to understand how America is positioned now and in the future compared to China and other world powers
• to know which occupational fields are least and which are most impacted by AI
• to be an entrepreneur in AI

I guarantee your mind will begin to churn at high levels and your interests will be satisfied. Although I am retired and supposed to be past the active technical and creative stages, I felt reenergized reading this book and now have the desire to jump in and do something, if only imagine and follow future developments.

I can’t think of a reason why anybody would not enjoy this book. Not only does it provide total insight into AI – what it is, where it is already applied, what is being developed now, what and when to expect the next – it is an extremely well written book with perfect structure and continuous interest.

You may not agree entirely with all the author’s opinions, but you’ll find detailed, compelling arguments for them. I, myself, question his comparison to “Silicon Valley” when in most cases it appeared to be just the culture of California residents. I also question his selection of Policy and Funding as important requirements when comparing America to China when it is America’s private companies that drive the policies and the funding, not the government, versus China where nothing gets done unless the government issues a nation-wide policy and funding. Only then do the local governments get funded and fast-money making entrepreneurs get active. To date, this kind of behavior has supported the “copycat” culture in China, which the author explains, and which is accepted there as standard, in addition to, the detailed “spying” on citizen behaviors giving them an advantage is mass data which we in America would deem a major invasion of privacy. It’s that culture that gives China a boost in its short-term entrepreneurs’ endeavors -- the culture of making money fast and then moving on versus Silicon Valley companies that shoot for innovation and notoriety to ensure long-term growth and “monopolistic” status.

The author is honest and notes the pros and cons of everything, including listing caveats that would make his opinions questionable.

I found this book a very fine text that delivers an entire AI course in a single binder.

Reviewer: Rich

AI SUPERPOWERS by Kai-Fu Lee is a commentary on the competition between America and China to dominate the field of artificial intelligence. Lee, a former president of Google China, is a well-regarded expert in this area and he argues that four main building blocks are required for creating an AI Superpower in the 21st century: "abundant data, tenacious entrepreneurs, well-trained AI scientists, and a supportive policy environment." He begins with references to this competition as the new space race, noting China's "Sputnik moment" when an Western algorithm beat the world's best player of Go. Subsequent sections speculate on the economic impact of AI and discuss how "the real action today is with the tinkerers," i.e., the many scientists and implementers of AI theory.

In his introduction, Lee says, "My hope is that this book sheds some light in how we got here, and also inspires new conversations about where we go from here." Certainly, I could see many connections for our students, particularly ones researching this topic for Junior Theme and those in business classes. Lee’s comments about street smart and ruthless entrepreneurs prompted me to think of a number of questions about AI ethics in the future, not unlike some voiced recently in "Internet Hacking is about to get Much Worse" from The New York Times or "Will Governments Turn our Smart Devices into a Massive Surveillance Network?" from Forbes. Look for a copy of AI SUPERPOWERS on our shelves soon.

Links in live post:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/opinion/internet-hacking-cybersecurity-iot.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2018/10/09/will-governments-turn-our-smart-devices-into-a-massive-surveillance-network/#5278e2d526b6

Early on, it is noticeable that Mr. Lee’s comments all favor his original premise, that China will eclipse the United States as a global superpower in the realm of international commerce. While I believe this is a possibility, the author’s view initially appeared tainted due to his relative closeness to the subject matter (viewing China as his homeland). Of course, the same could be said of me (living in the US), so I advise readers to take both our initial comments with a grain of salt.

Chinese entrepreneurs have harnessed what has been known for years, that lean companies able to make quick decisions have the advantage in the marketplace. The danger of decisive decisions means the quick sprint in a different direction can lead to riches or a spiral to oblivion.

About halfway through the book, I began to wonder why Mr. Lee chose to spend all this time and effort to tell everyone that he believes China will overtake the US in the AI field. While the stories explaining the growth of Chinese companies were interesting and I can see how they are necessary to use as comparisons to US companies, I questioned the premise for the book. Does he want to warn the US? Brag up his home country? Publish a book to hype his “Sinovation” company? (Fortunately, Mr. Lee answered these questions and more in the last chapter).

Mr. Lee then executed an about-face with an intimate look at his life-threatening disease and how it affected his outlook on life and relationships with others. It is this epiphany that spurs the last third of the book, which moves past the dire outcomes of AI robots putting 50% of us out of work and instead offers a realistic view of using inherent human strengths to create opportunities for us to coexist with the inevitable world we face.

I liked that the author did not pound one thesis at us for 300 pages. Rather, he presented his views in an articulate manner, separating the discussions into coherent pieces that allow readers time to understand one concept before moving on. Surprisingly (based solely on the book’s title), the ultimate thrust of the book did not pit the two superpowers against each other. After posing the questions of how China and the United States might perform in the context of a business model, Mr. Lee moved into an area currently inaccessible to AI, the ability to feel and demonstrate compassion for others.

As a world, we are headed toward a myriad of possibilities, and “AI Superpowers” does more than simply educate. It provides a potential guideline to aid us all in our travels through future uncertainties. In the author’s own words: “If we believe that life has meaning beyond this material rat race, then AI might be the tool that can help us uncover that deeper meaning.” Five stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance complimentary ebook.

An interesting look at the past, present, and future of global technology, smartphones, copycat apps, and more. Focuses on China and the US, and the implications of developing AI technology.