Synthetic intelligence is on all people’s lips nowadays, sparking pleasure, concern and countless debates. Is it a pressure for good or dangerous – or a pressure we even have but to totally perceive? We sat down with distinguished pc scientist and AI researcher Mária Bieliková to debate these and different urgent points surrounding AI, its impression on humanity, and broader moral dilemmas and questions of belief it raises.
Congratulations on changing into the newest laureate of the ESET Science Award. How does it really feel to win the award?
I really feel immense gratitude and happiness. Receiving the award from Emmanuelle Charpentier herself was an unbelievable expertise, full of intense feelings. This award does not simply belong to me – it belongs to all of the exceptional individuals who accompanied me on this journey. I consider they had been all equally thrilled. In IT and likewise in applied sciences usually, outcomes are achieved by groups, not people.
I am delighted that that is the primary time the primary class of the award has gone to the sphere of IT and AI. 2024 was additionally the primary yr the Nobel Prize was awarded for progress in AI. In actual fact, there have been 4 Nobel Prizes for AI-related innovations – two in Physics for Machine Studying of Neural Networks and two in Chemistry for coaching Deep Neural Networks that predict protein buildings.
And naturally, I really feel immense satisfaction for the Kempelen Institute of Clever Applied sciences, which was established 4 years in the past and now holds a steady place within the AI ecosystem of Central Europe.
A number one Slovak pc scientist, Mária Bieliková has carried out in depth analysis in human-computer interplay evaluation, consumer modelling and personalization. Her work additionally extends to the information evaluation and modelling of delinquent conduct on the internet, and he or she’s a distinguished voice within the public discourse about reliable AI, the unfold of disinformation, and the way AI can be utilized to fight the difficulty. She additionally co-founded and at the moment heads up the Kempelen Institute of Clever Applied sciences (KInIT), the place ESET acts as a mentor and associate. Ms. Bieliková not too long ago received the Excellent Scientist in Slovakia class of the ESET Science Award.
Creator and historian Yuval Noah Harari has made the pithy statement that for the primary time in human historical past, nobody is aware of what the world will seem like in 20 years or what to show in colleges at present. As somebody deeply concerned in AI analysis, how do you envision the world 20 years from now, notably when it comes to know-how and AI? What are the abilities and competencies that may as soon as be important for at present’s youngsters?
The world has at all times been troublesome, unsure, and ambiguous. At present, know-how accelerates these challenges in ways in which individuals battle to handle in actual time, making it onerous to foresee the implications. AI not solely helps us automate our actions and exchange people in numerous fields, but in addition create new buildings and artificial organisms, which might probably trigger new pandemics.
Even when we didn’t anticipate such situations, know-how is consciously or unconsciously used to divide teams and societies. It is not simply digital viruses aiming to paralyze infrastructure or achieve sources; it is a direct manipulation of human considering by way of propaganda unfold on the velocity of sunshine and magnitude we could not have imagined a number of many years in the past.
I don’t know what sort of society we are going to dwell in 20 years from now or how the principles of humanity will change. It’d take longer, however we would even be capable to alter our meritocratic system, at the moment based mostly on the analysis of data, in a approach that doesn’t divide society. Maybe we’ll change the best way we deal with information as soon as we notice we won’t absolutely belief our senses.
I’m satisfied that even our kids will more and more deviate from the necessity for information and evaluating success in numerous exams, together with IQ exams. Data will stay essential, but it surely have to be information that we are able to apply. What is going to actually matter is the vitality individuals are keen to put money into doing significant issues. That is true at present, however we frequently underutilize this angle when discussing training. We nonetheless consider cognitive abilities and information regardless of figuring out these competencies alone are inadequate in the actual world at present.
I consider that as know-how advances, our want for sturdy communities and the event of social and emotional abilities will solely develop.
As AI continues to advance, it challenges long-standing philosophical concepts about what it means to be human. Do you assume René Descartes’ statement about human exceptionalism, “I believe, subsequently I’m”, will must be re-evaluated in an period the place machines can “assume”? How far do you consider we’re from AI techniques which may push us to redefine human consciousness and intelligence?
AI techniques, particularly the massive basis fashions, are revolutionizing the best way AI is utilized in society. They’re regularly bettering. Earlier than the tip of 2024, OpenAI introduced new fashions, O3 and O3mini, which achieved vital developments in all exams, together with the ARC-AGI benchmark that measures AI’s effectivity in buying abilities for unknown duties.
From this, one would possibly assume that we’re near attaining Synthetic Normal Intelligence (AGI). Personally, I consider we aren’t fairly there with present know-how. We have now superb techniques that may help in programming sure duties, reply quite a few questions, and in lots of exams, they carry out higher than people. Nevertheless, they don’t actually perceive what they’re doing. Subsequently, we can not but speak about real considering, though some reasoning behind activity decision is already being achieved by machines.
Simply as we perceive phrases like intelligence and consciousness at present, we are able to say that AI possesses a sure stage of intelligence – that means it has the flexibility to resolve advanced issues. Nevertheless, as of now, it lacks consciousness. Based mostly on the way it features, AI doesn’t have the potential to really feel and use feelings within the duties it’s given. Whether or not this can ever change, or if our understanding of those ideas will evolve, is troublesome to foretell.
The notion that “to create is human” is being more and more questioned as AI techniques develop into able to producing artwork, music, and literature. In your view, how does the rise of generative AI impression the human expertise of creativity? Does it improve or diminish our sense of id and uniqueness as creators?
At present, we witness many debates on creativity and AI. Folks devise numerous exams to showcase how far AI has come and the place these AI techniques or fashions surpass human capabilities. AI can generate pictures, music, and literature, a few of which could possibly be thought of artistic, however definitely not in the identical approach as human creativity.
AI techniques can and do create unique artifacts. Though they generate them from pre-existing supplies, we might nonetheless discover some actually new creations. However that is not the one essential facet. Why do individuals create artwork, and why do individuals watch, learn, and take heed to artwork? At its essence, artwork helps individuals discover and strengthen relationships with each other.
Artwork is an inseparable a part of our lives; with out it, our society can be very completely different. This is the reason we are able to admire AI-generated music or work – AI was created by people. Nevertheless, I don’t consider AI-generated artwork would fulfill us long-term to the identical extent as actual artwork created by people, or by people with the assist of know-how.
Simply as we develop applied sciences, we additionally search causes to dwell and to dwell meaningfully. We would dwell in a meritocracy the place we attempt to measure all the pieces, however what brings us nearer collectively and characterizes us are tales. Sure, we might generate these too, however I’m speaking concerning the tales that we dwell.
AI analysis has seen fluctuations in progress over the many years, however the latest tempo of development – particularly in machine studying and generative AI – has shocked even many consultants. How briskly is simply too quick? Do you assume this fast progress is sustainable and even fascinating? Ought to we decelerate AI innovation to raised perceive its societal impacts, or does slowing down threat stifling helpful breakthroughs?
The velocity at which new fashions are rising and bettering is unprecedented. That is largely because of the approach our world features at present – a large focus of wealth in personal corporations and sure elements of the world, in addition to a worldwide race in a number of fields. AI is a big a part of these races.
To some extent, progress will depend on the exhaustion of at present’s know-how and the event of latest approaches. How a lot can we enhance present fashions with identified strategies? To what extent will huge corporations share new approaches? Given the excessive price of coaching giant fashions, will we simply be observers of bettering black bins?
At current, there is no such thing as a steadiness between the techniques humanity can create and our understanding of their results on our lives. Slowing down, given how our society works, isn’t potential, for my part, with out a paradigm shift.
This is the reason it’s essential to allocate sources and vitality to analysis the implications of those techniques and to check the fashions themselves, not simply by way of standardized exams as their creators do. For instance, on the Kempelen Institute, we analysis the abilities and willingness of fashions to generate disinformation. Not too long ago, we’ve got additionally been trying into the technology of customized disinformation.
There’s a whole lot of pleasure round AI’s potential to resolve international challenges – from healthcare to local weather change. The place do you consider the promise of AI is best when it comes to sensible and moral purposes? Can AI be the “technological repair” for a few of humanity’s most urgent points, or will we threat overestimating its capabilities?
AI may help us deal with probably the most urgent points whereas concurrently creating new ones. The world is filled with paradoxes, and with AI, we see this at each flip. AI has been helpful in numerous fields. Healthcare is one such space the place, with out AI, some progress – for instance, in creating new medicines – wouldn’t be potential, or we must wait for much longer. AlphaFold, which predicts the construction of proteins, has huge potential and has been used for years now.
Then again, AI additionally allows the creation of artificial organisms, which could be helpful but in addition pose dangers equivalent to pandemics or different unexpected conditions.
AI assists in spreading disinformation and manipulating individuals’s ideas on points like local weather change, whereas on the similar time, it could actually assist individuals perceive that local weather change is actual. AI fashions can exhibit the potential penalties for our planet if we proceed on our present path. That is essential, as individuals are inclined to focus solely on short-term challenges and sometimes underestimate the seriousness of the scenario until it instantly impacts them.
Nevertheless, AI can solely assist us to the extent that we, as people, permit it to. That is the largest problem. Since AI does not perceive what it produces, it has no intentions. However individuals do.
With nice potential additionally come vital dangers. Outstanding figures in tech and AI have expressed considerations about AI changing into an existential menace to humanity. How do you assume we are able to steadiness accountable AI improvement with the necessity to push boundaries, all whereas avoiding alarmism?
As I discussed earlier than, the paradoxes we witness with AI are immense, elevating questions for which we’ve got no solutions. They pose vital dangers. It is fascinating to discover the chances and bounds of know-how, however then again, we aren’t prepared – as people, nor as a society – for the sort of automation of our abilities.
We have to make investments a minimum of as a lot in researching the technological impression on individuals, their considering, and their functioning as we do within the applied sciences themselves. We want multidisciplinary groups to collectively discover the chances of know-how and their impression on humanity.
It is as if we had been making a product with out caring concerning the worth it brings to the buyer, who can purchase it, and why. If we didn’t have a vendor, we would not promote a lot. The scenario with AI is extra critical, although. We have now use instances, merchandise, and individuals who need them, however as a society, we don’t absolutely perceive what’s taking place once we use them. And maybe most individuals do not even wish to know.
In at present’s international world, we can not cease progress, nor can we gradual it down. It solely slows once we are saturated with outcomes and discover it onerous to enhance, or once we run out of sources, as coaching giant AI fashions may be very costly. That’s the reason their finest safety is researching their impression from the start of their improvement and creating boundaries for his or her use. Everyone knows that it’s prohibited to drink alcohol earlier than the age of 18, or 21 in some international locations, but usually with out hesitation, we permit youngsters to speak with AI techniques, which they’ll simply liken to people and belief implicitly with out understanding the content material.
Belief in AI is a serious subject globally, with attitudes towards AI techniques various extensively between cultures and areas. How can the AI analysis neighborhood assist foster belief in AI applied sciences and make sure that they’re considered as helpful and reliable throughout numerous societies?
As I used to be saying, multidisciplinary analysis is important not just for discovering new prospects and bettering AI applied sciences but in addition for evaluating their abilities, how we understand them, and their impression on people and society.
The rise of deep neural networks is altering the scientific strategies of AI and IT. We have now synthetic techniques the place the core ideas are identified, however by way of scaling, they’ll develop abilities that we can not at all times clarify. As scientists and engineers, we devise methods to make sure the mandatory accuracy in particular conditions by combining numerous processes. Nevertheless, there may be nonetheless a lot we do not perceive, and we can not absolutely consider the properties of those fashions.
Such analysis doesn’t produce direct worth, which makes it difficult to garner voluntary assist from the personal sector on a bigger scale. That is the place the personal and public sectors can collaborate for the way forward for all of us.
AI regulation has struggled to maintain up with the sphere’s fast developments, and but, as somebody who advocates for AI ethics and transparency, you’ve seemingly thought of the position of regulation in shaping the long run. How do you see AI researchers contributing to insurance policies and laws that guarantee the moral and accountable improvement of AI techniques? Ought to they play a extra energetic position in policymaking?
Fascinated by ethics in analysis is essential, not solely in analysis but in addition within the improvement of merchandise. Nevertheless, it may be fairly costly as a result of it can be crucial that an actual want arises on the stage of important plenty. We nonetheless have to think about the dilemma of latest information acquisition versus the potential interference with the autonomy or privateness of people.
I’m satisfied {that a} good decision is feasible. The query of ethics and credibility have to be an integral a part of the event of any product or analysis from the start. On the Kempelen Institute, we’ve got consultants on ethics and laws who assist not solely researchers but in addition corporations in evaluating the dangers related to the ethics and credibility of their merchandise.
We see that every one of us have gotten extra delicate. Philosophers and attorneys take into consideration the applied sciences and supply options that don’t get rid of the dangers, whereas scientists and engineers are asking themselves questions they hadn’t thought of earlier than.
Usually, there are nonetheless too few of those actions. Our society evaluates outcomes based on the variety of scientific papers produced, leaving little room for coverage advocacy. This makes it much more important to create area for it. In recent times, in sure circles, equivalent to pure language processing or recommender system communities, it has develop into customary for scientific papers to incorporate opinions on ethics as a part of the evaluation course of.
As AI researchers work towards innovation, they’re usually confronted with moral dilemmas. Have you ever encountered challenges in balancing the moral imperatives of AI improvement with the necessity for scientific progress? How do you navigate these tensions, notably in your work on customized AI techniques and information privateness?
On the Kempelen Institute, it has been helpful to have philosophers and attorneys concerned from the very starting, serving to us navigate these dilemmas. We have now an ethics board, and variety of opinions is certainly one of our core values.
For sure, it’s not simple. I notably discover it problematic once we wish to translate analysis outcomes into apply and encounter points with the information the mannequin was skilled on. On this regard, it’s essential to make sure transparency from the outset, so we cannot solely write a scientific paper but in addition assist corporations innovate their merchandise.
Given your collaboration with giant know-how corporations and organizations, equivalent to ESET, how essential do you assume it’s for these corporations to steer by instance in selling moral AI, inclusivity, and sustainability? What position do you assume firms ought to play in shaping a future the place AI is aligned with societal values?
The Kempelen Institute was established based mostly on the collaboration of people with sturdy tutorial backgrounds and visionaries from a number of giant and medium-sized corporations. The concept is that shaping a future the place AI aligns with societal values can’t be realized by only one group. We have now to attach and search synergies wherever potential.
For that motive, in 2024, we organized the primary version of the AI Awards, centered on Reliable AI. This occasion culminated on the Forbes Enterprise Fest, the place we introduced the laureate of the award – AI:Dental, a startup. In 2025 we’re efficiently persevering with the AI Awards and have obtained extra and better high quality purposes.
We began discussing the subject of AI and disinformation nearly 10 years in the past. Again then, it was extra tutorial, however even then, we witnessed some malicious disinformation, particularly associated to human well being. We had no thought of the immense affect this subject would finally have on the world. And it is solely certainly one of many urgent points.
I concern that the general public sector alone has no likelihood of tackling these points with out the assistance of enormous corporations, particularly at present when AI is being utilized by politicians to achieve recognition. I take into account the subject of trustworthiness in know-how, notably AI, to be as essential as different key matters in CSR. Supporting analysis on the options of AI fashions and their impression on people is prime for sustainable progress and high quality life.
Thanks in your time!
