Beyond the Hype: An AI-Driven World Is Still a Long Way Off

A panel of experts at the recent 2017 Wharton Global Forum in Hong Kong outlined their views on the future for artificial intelligence (AI), robots, drones, other tech advances and how it all might affect employment in the future. Their comments came in a panel session titled, "Engineering the Future of Business," with Wharton Dean Geoffrey Garrett moderating and speakers Pascale Fung, a professor of electronic and computer engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Vijay Kumar, dean of engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and Nicolas Aguzin, Asian-Pacific chairman and CEO for J.P.Morgan. A fundamental problem is that most observers do not realize just how vast an amount of data is needed to operate in the physical world -- ever-increasing amounts, or, as Kumar calls it -- "exponential" amounts. "To have electric power and motors and batteries to power drones that can lift people in the air -- I think this is a pipe dream.