We find ourselves in an era of rapid technological change. The continued spread of internet connectivity, and the increased use of social media tools continues to impact not only the amount of information people have access to, but also how it is transmitted. New and developing technologies including Virtual and Augmented reality have the potential to rapidly transform not only how people interact with each other but how they learn. Advances in energy generation will undoubtedly increase access to power sources and reduce our impact on the environment. Examples of how technology is changing our lives are everywhere we look; we are undoubtedly living in a time of great transformation. Yet arguably, there is a likelihood that no new technology will play as big of a role in changing our lives as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In simple terms, AI can be used to define or describe machines, processes, and systems that have been designed to perform tasks much like a human would - by reasoning, using logic, and by reacting to external factors. Until recently, AI resided largely in the minds of futurists and in the works of science fiction writers and enthusiasts. As we move through the second decade of the 21st century, AI is no longer a distant vision of the future, but rather a very real phenomenon. Machines and systems powered by AI are already playing an important role in changing our economy. It is estimated that by 2020, only 15 percent of customer service encounters will be undertaken by human customer service employees. By 2025, 16 percent of jobs in the United States may be replaced by AI. To be fair to our soon to be AI coworkers, there will be also be benefits. The adoption of AI will create new jobs, improve efficiency, and result in massive savings for both governments and businesses. AI will also make our lives easier; the self parking option on your new car or that feature on your music streaming service that selects music based on your tastes are brought to you by the same technology. Not surprisingly, the AI market is expected to grow from $420 million in 2014 to over $5 billion in 2020.
In Mexico, a country known for its growing high technology automobile and aeronautics sectors, AI is as much a reality as it is anywhere else. Many of the large investments undertaken in both the automobile and aeronautic industries include major capital outlays for the purpose of increasing and improving the automation of production processes as well as incorporating AI in future product offerings. Given its proximity to both the U.S. and Latin American markets, Mexico is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in adapting AI, not only in business, but also civic life. Through heavy investment in education, Mexico has also begun taking steps to prepare its workforce for the economy of the future. Such investments, often geared at encouraging more graduates in STEM fields has paid off. Mexico is now ranked as one of the world’s top nations as relates to graduating computer science and engineering graduates.
As is the case across the globe, the growth of the AI industry and its future prospects also represent challenges for Mexico. How will the country mitigate the economic and societal impact of certain jobs becoming obsolete? How will displaced workers reenter the workforce? And among other questions, how do you prepare your population to embrace mass scale change at the hands of technology forces?
A collaboration between one of Mexico’s top innovation and design institutions of higher learning, CENTRO, and international and national experts seeks to find answers to the many questions surrounding AI. This year’s VOR Conference to be held on February 16, 2017, will bring together entrepreneurs, innovators, government officials and academics who will focus on building a discussion around AI, its potential and its challenges. Perhaps more importantly, the conference aims to develop a broader discussion as to how the public and private sectors can work together to ensure the unpreventable automatization of our lives results in a net benefit for the entire global community.
Mexico City based entrepreneur Daniel Zylbersztejn is one of the organizers of VOR. A serial entrepreneur with a background in social entrepreneurship, Daniel and other organizers created VOR in 2013 to provide a forum for the Mexican innovation community to engage with top international experts to advance cooperation and dialogue as relates to using innovation as a tool to spur positive global change.
I had the opportunity to interview Daniel and learn more about VOR and his views on innovation. Hope you enjoy!
Daniel Zylbersztejn, co-organizer of VOR
CG: Tell me about VOR and the motivation behind the conference.
DZ: VOR is an non-conference. It is an overwhelming experience of dialogue, discussions, interactions, examples, visualizations and interventions in which national and international experts tackle issues with global implications. The idea was born out of a desire to join the visions of civil society, academia, the private sector, and the government to build avenues for the construction of new realities.
Our motivation is to bring international experts to Mexico to help create an informed environment that will permit us to imagine, design, debate, and build a 21st century Mexico.
CG: For this year’s conference you've chosen to focus on Artificial Intelligence and its growing role in our societies. Why do you think this is such an important issue?
DZ: After a long period of analysis regarding potential themes and trends and their impact on the future we came to the conclusion that Artificial Intelligence is likely to have a major impact on the future of humanity. Its potential derives from the fact that it is a discipline that impacts many areas of society and can result in spurring grand transformations.
When a society is able to increase its knowledge in a constant, systematic way it possible for that society to experience great transformations. Artificial Intelligence undoubtedly has the capacity to spur such advances.
CG: VOR convenes annually in Mexico. What role do you see Mexico playing in the rapidly evolving global 21st century economy?
DZ: Mexico is in a privileged position to be a key and dynamic global actor. According to the OECD’s annual report on prosperity, educational systems must be able to generate important competencies, including resilience, creativity, and persistence. These are all qualities found in Mexican culture. Mexico is joining these qualities with educational policies that are evolving to adapt to a more dynamic world that demands adaptive capabilities and continuous learning.
The dialogue created by VOR and generated among various distinct actors in society is at the forefront of such conversations, helping to forge a path towards joining what is known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
CG: Innovation is an important theme for both businesses and governments. How can both actors better embrace innovation to solve important problems?
DZ: It is important for a debate to take place regarding the roles of government, business, and civil society in the dynamics of a country. Assuming that the government has the responsibility to create the structural conditions that spur domestic development, that business has the role of generating economic well being, and civil society is in charge of encouraging initiatives that contribute to creating a better society and a sense of community, we can work to find meeting points in which all three sectors obtain their desired results by building new avenues with which to do so.
CG: Technologies disrupt businesses and industries but also how citizens interact with their governments. How are these changes driving societal change?
DZ: The impact technology has on society implicates changes in the way we relate to one another, in the ways in which we consume, how we transport ourselves, and how we communicate, among other things. We can assume that thanks to these changes our everyday life is continually being modified. In an industrial society the way with we make decisions is based on fixed analytical models which seek to reduce risk. In a digital society the way you undertake decisions changes constantly due to the rapid pace of change which causes greater uncertainty as old ways of doing things become obsolete at a faster pace. As a result, we can begin to understand that the way people are governed will be different. Information that was once private is now often public. Information that previously only reached the people through few mediums is now being disseminated from unlimited perspectives. The quantity of information with which a President must now contend with in order to make a decision is much more than even during the 1990’s. Technology now affords us the possibility and ability to measure the actions and decisions of governments and find solutions for problems that have long been ignored. Some experts believe that the transformation our civilization is going through will be as impactful as the transition to the Industrial Revolution.
CG: As an entrepreneur with a strong focus on businesses that create a social impact, what technologies or innovations are you most excited about?
DZ: I think it is difficult to pick one area to get excited about because technology is developing so rapidly across so many different fields and continually resulting in new innovations and discoveries that we could have never imagined. Nevertheless, there are a couple of challenges that I believe we face as a society. One is ensuring that the population’s knowledge, competencies, and capabilities keep up with technological change to ensure their economic productivity. This is very important given that many jobs are likely to disappear as a result of automatization. On the other hand, there is a lot of excitement about new jobs created in industries which we don’t even know exist. Taking into account different learning methods and the importance of experience as one of the most efficient ways to transmit information I think Virtual Reality will have a great impact on our lives.
CG: Any parting words?
DZ: We are living during a very important transition for our civilization. We must discuss, debate, design, and construct the future that we would like to see become reality. What was once only fiction, today has become our new reality and we must find new mechanisms and new avenues that will permit us to find solutions for questions that have remained unresolved, as well as confront new challenges that will arise out of this new reality. I invite you to be a part of the debate on February 16 where we will be discussing these and many more important themes!
CG: Thank you!