AI @ Facebook Overview
1) Machine Learning: Teaching computers to learn without
explicit programming (solve problems from data)
2) Computer Vision: Teaching computers to understand
visual content like images and videos (incl. facial rec)
3) Natural Language Processing (NLP): Computer’s
ability to read and understand language
PLANNING PREDICTION UNDERSTANDING & LEARNING PERCEPTION
AI for Good
Detecting Lung Cancer
AI for Transportation Planning
Sustainable Farming
Transforming Education
AI’s Potential
Source: Analysis Group
$1.5-3T
General Purpose Technology
(GPT)
“…technology with a range of characteristics
which makes it particularly well placed to
generate longer-term productivity increases
and economic growth across a range of
industries.”
The Impacts of Nanotechnology on Companies (OECD, 2010)
AI as a GPT
• Adoption to drive innovation across sectors
• Will generate major social benefits and improve
welfare/productivity
• Spillovers throughout economy as w/ previous
general purpose technologies
“Artificial intelligence, especially machine learning, is
the most important general-purpose technology of our
era. The impact of these innovations on business and
the economy will be reflected not only in their direct
contributions but also in their ability to enable and
inspire complementary innovations. New products and
processes are being made possible by better vision
systems, speech recognition, intelligent problem
solving, and many other capabilities that machine
learning delivers.”
Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee (Harvard Business Review, 2017)
Future of Work
Expanding the Public Debate
• AI is a diverse field of study & set of technologies that will be
building blocks for new activity
• Economic trends of last few decades pinned to automation
• Technological unemployment would diverge from previous
General Purpose Technologies (electricity, steam engine)
Labor Productivity
• AI complements work. Incorporating AI into tasks raises
productivity and frees people to do more
• Automation replaces old jobs in some areas and creates new
ones in others
• Labor productivity has declined consistently over the last few
decades
• By some estimates, AI has potential to boost productivity by
up to 40% on an average by 2035
Reasons for Optimism
• New technology creates new demand for labor
• Where automation doesn’t replace labor it complements
• History: steam engine, electricity, farm animals, printing
press
• No finite amount of work to be done (Lump of Labor Fallacy)
• Can’t automate what we don’t understand (human
brain/intelligence)
Public Policy
Education and Training
• Focus on human capital; lifelong learning; upskilling
• Grow pool of STEM grads and high-skill workers
Invest in Research
• Invest in basic AI and machine learning research
• Fund more PhD students and science research
Market Development
• Low barriers to entry for small & innovative firms
• R&D incentives for firms using emerging tech/AI
Insights from Past GPTs