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Future perfect

Artificial intelligence is overblown and overstated, says George Colony. Still, the Forrester CEO believes technology will lead mankind into a brighter and better future.

Published Fri, Jan 26, 2018 · 09:50 PM

    GEORGE Colony, the founder, chairman and CEO of research agency Forrester, is worried about computer programmes that can beat grandmasters of chess and of the Chinese game of Go, without breaking a sweat.

    But he is not the least concerned about these super-smart programmes taking over the world, like Skynet from the Terminator movie franchise - a fear that many luminaries such as Elon Musk have expressed about artificial intelligence (AI). Rather, Mr Colony frets that the "artificial stupidity" (a term he coined) of AIs could result in people getting hurt.

    "My worry is that machines, which we trust for our well-being, would do something stupid and people may get hurt," Mr Colony tells The Business Times in a recent conversation.

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