Is AI a panacea or aPandoras box?
Its a question that divides the British government.
I could go on nearly forever to cover all areas of public administration, Dowden threatened.
Naturally, those tools can also reduce the need for pesky human employees.
We need to really embrace this stuff to drive the numbers down, Dowden said.
And thats merely one of the deputy PMs automation dreams.
AI is potentially and I dont say this lightly, he claimed, a silver bullet.
His colleagues, however, dont all share his unbridled faith.
The era ofdeepfakeand AI-generated content to mislead and disrupt is already in play, he said.
Such anxieties add a sad note to Dowdens rhapsody.
But the contrasting tones are unsurprising even from within the same government.
Whether theyre positive or negative, politicians have become enraptured by AI extremes.
They provide the powerful solutions, the petrifying problems, and the pithy slogans that every government desires.
Any ambiguities or middle grounds, by contrast, are undesirable distractions.
In reality, of course, AI is neither good nor bad; what matters is how its deployed.
Unfortunately, the guardrails for deployment are being built by the likes of Dowden and Cleverly.
One of the themes of this years TNW Conference is Ren-AI-ssance: The AI-Powered Rebirth.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
