Generative AI is suddenly everywhere. Because of this, the future of AI looks very bright indeed. There are many opportunities for generative AI to impact life and business in both positive and negative ways in the near future. Because the consequence of negative human impacts can easily far outweigh the benefits of positive human impacts, the future of AI looks very dark indeed. What did I just say?

The final round of this year's AI Song Contest was contested by an oddly dissonant ode to coffee, some boppy Eurovision-esque ditties, a gently French melody, and a host of more genre-defying anthems. The competition is styled on the Eurovision, although it is open to entries from around the world, and the songs are entirely composed by computers. Listening to the finalists, and the ultimate winner – Thailand's Yaboi Hanoi with Asura Deva Choom Noom (Enter Demons & Gods); at aisongcontest.com – I found myself wondering if anyone had cheated by adding a little helping human hand. I also found myself wondering where the boundaries blur. Machines have been facilitating music-making since instruments were invented, but computer technology is a seismic shift on a par with the advents of sound recording and electrical amplification. While AI is currently causing future-shock rumblings, the influence of computers on our music has been felt for a while.

SAS is committed to building a global community of innovators that use technology to ignite positive change for people and the planet. This Earth Day, SAS and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) are implementing the next generation of crowd-driven artificial intelligence (AI) to help power AI algorithms designed to help us better understand our planet. IIASA is an independent, international research institute that is known for its expertise in systems analysis and providing policy solutions and baseline information on pressing concerns for humanity. IIASA is placing a spotlight on the issue of deforestation to learn about the application of AI to elucidate the interconnectivity of Earth's ecosystems. Today, our systems are changing rapidly, approaching levels that exceed existing human experiences, scientific understanding, and traditional modeling capabilities, making it increasingly difficult for humans to intervene efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner.

This Earth Day, SAS and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) are implementing the next generation of crowd-driven artificial intelligence (AI) to help power AI algorithms designed to help us better understand our planet. IIASA is an independent, international research institute that is known for its expertise in systems analysis and providing policy solutions and baseline information on pressing concerns for humanity. IIASA is placing a spotlight on the issue of deforestation to learn about the application of AI to elucidate the interconnectivity of Earth's ecosystems. Today, our systems are changing rapidly, approaching levels that exceed existing human experiences, scientific understanding and traditional modeling capabilities, making it increasingly difficult for humans to intervene efficiently, effectively and timeously. "The urgency required to address these transformations requires the application of best of breed technology solutions. That's why we turned to SAS," said Albert van Jaarsveld, CEO at IIASA.

AI, unlike any other initiative is a business transformation enabler and not another technology system implementation that business users need to be trained on. Traditionally, businesses choose either the classic waterfall approach of linear tasks, or the agile approach, where teams review and evaluate solutions as they are tested out. In contrast, implementing AI technology requires a different approach altogether. AI requires that you look at a problem and see if there's a way to solve it by reframing the business process itself. Instead of solving a problem with a 10-step strategy, is there a way to cut it down to six steps using data already available or by using new types of untapped internal or publicly available data and applying AI to it?

Today, many people are talking about artificial intelligence (AI) and just about every new product that gets launched seems to have an AI element to it. However, at the same time there is much fear surrounding the impact that automation and artificial intelligence will have. This is particularly true for those employees directly affected who may fear that their way of working or living will fundamentally change. Self-driving trucks, automated warehousing, smart motorways and the self-checkouts at the supermarket are all replacing the traditional worker with computers that are more efficient and because they are automated remove the likelihood of human error. But does that mean the human worker is no longer needed? In the 1970s major cities, like London, suffered massive job losses and a decline in the resident population.

When you think of how human resource departments use computers, databases and administrative software likely are the first things that spring to mind. But increasingly, artificial intelligence has begun powering a range of next-level smarts in the back end, transforming HR from a reactionary field to a strategic initiative that can fuel corporate innovation. Deb Bubb, IBM's vice president of human resources, sits at the leading edge of this evolving effort. "We're no longer a response to the business strategy of the company," she says. "We're actively at the table driving strategy, so that we can help the company compete where it needs to be."

A group of companies have just formed a new organization that will study the impact self-driving cars could have on humans, like the millions that stand to lose their jobs to autonomous vehicles in the future. The Partnership for Transportation Innovation and Opportunity (PTIO) is being formed as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit and includes Ford, Toyota, Daimler, Waymo, Uber, Lyft, FedEx and the American Trucking Association among its members. The Verge reports that in its first six months, PTIO wants to start developing a "well-rounded and data-based understanding of the impact and implications of autonomous vehicles on the future of work," collect expertise, goals and concerns from interested parties and "foster awareness of existing and near-term career opportunities for workers during the transition to a new autonomous vehicle-enabled economy." "Concern for the safety of workers and the public is paramount to PTIO," Executive Director Maureen Westphal told The Verge, "and safe deployment of [autonomous vehicle] technology is fundamental to securing better job opportunities for workers, so we plan to engage with a variety of concerned stakeholders already having conversations and planning for this transition to an autonomous vehicle future." In 2016, some of these same companies formed another group, the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, which advocates for self-driving technology.

In January, UC San Diego announced that a group of scientists had succeeded in training a computer to tell the difference between a person with a "healthy" intestine from someone with inflammatory bowel disease by analyzing the genetic makeup of the microbes in their gut. Less than two weeks later, scientists at Stanford University said they also had created an artificial intelligence algorithm that could diagnose skin cancer as accurately as a panel of 21 board-certified dermatologists. These recent advances suggest we are on the verge of some major innovations in the use of machine learning for medical diagnoses. Think what it would mean, for example, if you could use your smartphone to take a photo of a worrisome mole and send the image in to be remotely analyzed by a computer system. The Xconomy Forum on the Human Impact of Innovation, set for next Wednesday, April 19, at the Alexandria at Torrey Pines, was organized to highlight innovations that are expected to bring transformational change to how we live our lives.