Mr. Konstantinos Daskalakis, Professor of Computer Science at MIT, as part of The Upfront Initiative, which is being held for the fifth year at the Athens Conservatory.
Mr. Daskalakis addressed the frequent misconceptions surrounding Artificial Intelligence today, emphasizing that the most widespread is the perception that it is a technology that emerged just two years ago.
As he explained, what happened recently was the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, which allowed the general public to interact with Generative AI in a direct and user-friendly way. However, as he pointed out, Artificial Intelligence has been in use for decades, often without being noticed, as is the case on social media and content platforms, where algorithms determine how information is prioritized. At this point, he made a special reference to potential “addictive” effects on user behavior, noting that in recent years major tech companies have faced court rulings in the U.S. regarding the addiction their platforms can cause.
Referring to Generative AI, he emphasized that it is a technology to which we often attribute human-like characteristics and tend to trust its answers, even though its reliability is not absolute. At the same time, he noted that AI is an extremely powerful tool for searching and processing human knowledge, which in some cases can exceed expectations, while in others it fails spectacularly—a fact that requires critical use and constant vigilance. “With today’s AI, we have a ‘bulk’ of intelligence,” he noted.
On a practical level, he noted that its use is now particularly widespread in programming, where it has significantly increased the speed of code production, as well as in text processing and knowledge retrieval, such as in bibliographic research.
When asked about the changes that Artificial Intelligence will bring to the world of work and productivity, Mr. Daskalakis emphasized that in the immediate future, it will significantly boost productivity, leading to automated or hybrid decision-making systems where humans and machines will collaborate. He even noted that the distinction between human and machine decision-making will be redefined, as many repetitive and non-creative tasks will now be performed by AI systems.
In this context, he noted that the “winners” and “losers” of the new era will depend on many factors. According to him, large companies that manage to effectively integrate technology into their processes, as well as those that have a deeper understanding of the human factor and their customers’ needs, are expected to emerge as winners from this transition. Conversely, jobs based on repetitive processes lacking a creative or human element will be more vulnerable.
Referring to the skills of the future, he emphasized that adaptability, technological understanding, empathy, creativity, and critical thinking will become increasingly important, while human interaction may become even more valuable than it is today. At this point, he also emphasized the importance of redefining the characteristics that make us unique as human beings, adding that “Artificial Intelligence can make us more foolish if we surrender to using it for everything we create.”
Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of this technology being accessible to all, in order to avoid creating inequalities and a “two-speed” society and economy. As he noted, this is a matter of policy direction and strategic investments by governments and businesses.
In closing, he referred to the role of the academic community, noting that the challenge of the future is not competition with large technology companies in terms of the scale of models, but rather the production of fundamental research that will fuel the innovation ecosystem. Looking ahead a decade, he expressed the expectation that we will see significant discoveries in the natural world, noting, however, that getting there requires investment, access, and strategic direction.
The discussion took place with LiFO’s Editor-in-Chief, Yannis Pantazopoulos.
“The Upfront Initiative” is organized by LiFO and Tsomokos Communications, with the aim of continuously highlighting issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the public sphere.