9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
“We are not yet fully aware of how big the impact of AI will be on the world,” Barack Obama warns an attentive and almost comically dressed audience
“We are not yet fully aware of how big the impact of AI will be on the world,” Barack Obama warns an attentive and almost comically dressed audience in “Puurs.” The ex-president explains what he thinks society should think about, but also explains why the US is home to so many more successful technology companies than Europe and Belgium.
“AI is here and people don’t understand how big the impact will be,” Barack Obama tells Jürgen Ingels in a very well-behaved and rarely groundbreaking interview. The two men are sitting on white sofas on the stage of the Studio 100 pop-up theater in Puurs, where around 2,000 spectators are listening with full attention to the ex-president’s remarks.
Flanders Technology & Innovation (FTI) and SuperNova brought Barack Obama and the audience to Puurs with the promise of a moderated conversation about the challenges we face. We were also promised Obama’s vision of the future. “Conversation” is a big word for what we see, it quickly becomes clear. Jürgen Ingels, entrepreneur, investor and driving force behind the SuperNova Festival, will be allowed to read out some prepared questions from cards for an hour, after which we can only hope that the President himself will give a detailed answer.
As a result, the event often remains superficial, even though Obama is a gifted speaker and those present hang on every word he says. Here and there he actually lives up to expectations, even when the president uses a question about the economy himself to talk about AI.
Obama is well informed. “LLMs are growing exponentially,” he says. “GPT-4 is five times larger and more powerful than GPT-3, and GPT-5 is actually finished but not launched yet. This LLM will be five times more powerful than GPT-4. AI will enable quantum leaps in our productivity, efficiency, manufacturing, healthcare and more. We are facing a revolution.”
Technologists of all kinds were already preaching the same thing, usually with a very positive attitude. The impact on society is somewhat minimized. “AI will create more jobs than it will eliminate” has now almost become a saying. Anyone who expected Obama to support this view is in for a treat.
AI will displace jobs on an unprecedented scale.
Barack Obama
“If we do it right, our productivity will increase enormously,” he reiterates. “But AI will displace jobs on an unprecedented scale. This revolution is different from the industrial and even the digital one. AI will not only replace low-skilled workers, but also take over the work of smart and talented people.”
Obama tells his story very matter-of-factly. The president has aged but retains his charisma and thoughtful way of speaking. His opinion deserves respect: to know that we just have to look around. Where the hero of the evening has taken his place in the spotlight in a neat suit with a shirt but no tie, the audience is dressed as if the collective were ready to marry the man. We see three-piece suits with bows and shiny wedding suits with ties. Nobody wants to be seen in the same room as Obama wearing a t-shirt.
The president doesn’t seem to notice that he’s almost underdressed at his own event and carries on. “A few years ago, programming was still considered a job of the future. Nowadays LLMs seem to be great at programming. Suddenly being a programmer isn’t such a safe job unless you perform at MIT levels. And I don’t want anyone to think I’m targeting programmers. I am a lawyer myself, with AI two lawyers can do the work of ten. Judgment and creativity are paramount. As a human being you can still make a difference.”
Ingels remains silent as Obama considers the impact on society of what he has just described. “In the globalized world there is already one The winner takes everything-Principle. Whoever is the best can address the entire global market and displace local players. This is good for those who are very good. AI will amplify this situation.”
Countries need to start making decisions about the relationship between work and wages.
Barack Obama
“Countries need to start making decisions about the relationship between work and wages. How much work does a full-time job entail? Major social changes occur in a short period of time. What is the minimum amount someone has to get?” Ingels interrupts the president’s story with this reference to basic income. “And Continuous learning?”, he suddenly throws in a catchphrase. Obama doesn’t have much to say about this and we seem to be missing some concrete thoughts on organizing a post-AI society.
The sound in the Studio 100 pop-up cinema becomes brighter. Occasionally the room erupts in laughter, such as when Obama suggests that he would always prefer face-to-face meetings over video conferences unless the topic doesn’t interest him. Then the man turns out to be just as human as everyone present and admits to having secretly chatted on his iPad.
For an hour, Obama answers carefully curated questions that are never difficult and always coordinated. Ingels tries to encourage the president to express his thoughts on as many issues that might concern those in attendance, and that sometimes comes at the expense of some depth. We never hear a follow-up question.
The original promise of a conversation about tomorrow’s challenges and the president’s vision therefore turns out to be somewhat hollow. Ingels repeatedly asks what lessons entrepreneurs and business leaders can learn from the eight years Obama spent as American president, but the answer is actually: “None.”
“Conversely, I have always been cautious,” explains Obama. “I received advice from CEOs about the financial crisis and listened politely, but afterwards I thought that perhaps being the CEO of a coffee company is not really comparable to being in charge of the global economy.”
Sometimes the story goes deeper and we find a hint of the positivism of the Yes we cancampaign back. In his opinion, the differences between the United States and Europe are very small and solvable as long as we continue to share great principles such as respect for human rights and love for a democratic legal system. He acknowledges that these very principles are under pressure on both sides of the ocean.
“Whether Europe doesn’t impose too many rules,” asks Ingels. Familiar with the industry’s call for U.S. deregulation, Obama cautiously notes that a company would ultimately prefer to do business in the Netherlands or Denmark, with strong governments and associated rules and taxes, rather than Afghanistan or Congo. He advocates new rules where they are necessary and the abolition of old rules where they are no longer relevant.
At the start of the evening, Ingels asks why the US is home to so many large technology companies compared to the rest of Europe and the world. The aim of FTI and the SuperNova festival is to shine a spotlight on Flemish innovation and stimulate the investment climate. Who knows, maybe those present can learn something here. In any case, Obama has an answer.
“First and foremost, we have a strong foundation,” he says. “There are problems with our primary and secondary education, but our universities are the best in the world. In addition, they are research universities. We also have a strong tradition of immediately implementing research findings and developing commercial applications. This is happening in some key clusters, such as Silicon Valley and the regions around Austin and Boston.”
There are also universities in Europe, but according to Obama, the USA traditionally has more risk capital to draw on. “It is not the banks that have provided the start-up capital for successful companies.” He believes that the lower threshold for risky investments is certainly helpful.
Finally, the President referred to migration. “Founders and engineers are coming to the U.S. from elsewhere because they feel there are fewer obstacles for them.” Obama notes that the ecosystem that has made the U.S. so successful is fragile. “Today, venture capitalists may already be taking fewer risks. In addition, my successor is sending signals to the rest of the world that we do not want migration. That’s wrong.”
Add to that the fact that the US was lucky First movers and is the first in the technology revolution, and you see a kind of flywheel effect where success, talent and capital attract new talent. “We’re not there yet in Belgium,” says Ingels.
After a little more than an hour, Ingels ended the conversation somewhat abruptly. A standing ovation follows, although it is not clear whether this is motivated by Obama’s comments or by the urge to properly see the ex-president one last time.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
