Eddie Monteiro Talks AI: Part 1

 

AI has been a hot-button topic for the past several months. From the writers’ and actors’ strikes to taking over social media, it has been a word that has been on everyone’s lips.

What is AI, though? Short for artificial intelligence, AI is described as ‘the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings,’ as per Britannica.

 

To gain more insight on the topic, I talked to expert Eddie Monteiro, who works as a partner at Baringa, a global consultancy. He recently worked on a study regarding AI and shared some of his thoughts on the evolution of AI.

 

“I think what we’ve seen happen over the last handful of years has been an increase in the accessibility of AI,” he said in our interview.  “And so, I think what we’re seeing is like just a general increase in access and accessibility of AI as we extrapolate forward.”

 

He went on to say that he thinks that students seem to be using AI more often when it comes to writing papers and doing schoolwork as an alternative to turning to students and teachers.

 

“It’s hard to find, you know, a high school student that hasn’t tried out ChatGPT for help constructing an essay or for assistance with, with difficult problems or, you know, in lieu of what maybe they used to turn to teachers or tutors for,” he explained.

 

However, is this a bad thing? Several years ago, students would be reprimanded or even expelled if they were caught using work that was not their own. Would using work created by AI result in the same ramifications?

 

Not necessarily. Eddie said that it could actually serve as ‘the next step of an evolving technology landscape,’ similar to the technology evolutions we have seen throughout the years. He adds that while there will always be skepticism when it comes to evolutions such as AI, people could become comfortable with it over time.

 

What will AI be like in the future? That is uncertain, but Eddie thinks that it will continue to ‘evolve to a state where you can afford to have a bit of a greater reliance on it,’ or in other words, become a part of our lives the way technology from several years ago became part of our lives today.

*This is part of an AI series TVGrapevine is writing, thanks to a wonderful chat with Eddie*