Page 14 - The EDIT | Q3 2017

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EDITorial
Merge: The closing gap between tech Behind the Scenes – The vi
How did you approach your research and exploration when you were asked to be a co- author of Merge?
Phil: It’s vital we hear testimony from all sides of
the debate. Whilst my natural first port of call was the many authorities on this subject — Kurzweil and Kelly — I was conscious we also needed to know the minds of those more AI-sceptical such as Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. Too much optimism is just as dangerous as too much pessimism.
Malcolm: Having already contributed towards Sentience, I had a substantial back catalogue
of reading regarding the topics of AI and future
tech trends and their impact on advertising and marketing. Beyond reading, my other exploration was hypothesising amongst the teams about the future of the agency model, and how technology can play a transformative role in accomplishing new objectives.
Elda: There is plethora of literature about AI and machine learning in our grasp today, whether through an article online, an editorial in a trade publication, or even books. It’s important to keep abreast to the material, which forms a solid base
to the topics and developments. However, to develop Merge, there was a need for more depth and breadth, drawing on the wider picture and connecting the dots between the past, the present and the future. I personally focused my research and exploration on the interviews, articles and books created by futurists like Ray Kurzweil, who are the few true thought leaders in this field, coupled with some not so prevalent articles published by
the likes of Scientific American, MIND, and others featuring journalists’ research and exploration on the very same subject matter. It was obvious upon reading the final product of Merge that there was an incredible amount of research behind it — and well worth the results.
Holger: I spent some time on talking with our
PHD Insight Planning Teams as well as external people, like a friend of mine at Futurecandy (www. futurecandy.com). I have also done extensive online research around AI and its implication on our business — and on our clients’ businesses.
Wayne: Started with twitter to identify themes amongst influencers I follow (in tech & AI). Tested these themes with experts I had access to in
my market. Then looked for any articles/books reinforcing these. This last step was a bit like a literature review.
What would you say is your most signi cant personal take-away from the book?
Wayne: The idea that technology is now moving towards us. It brings a level of unpredictability to the fore — but equally, the opportunity to leap ahead of the game in large steps.
Phil: I learned that advancement is inevitable, and humanity and nature are flexible concepts. However, that doesn’t mean that progress is a runaway train. We have the opportunity now, today, to define what we want our future to be, and to put safeguards in place to protect against its worst excesses. Technology is neutral, but coloured by our own personal ethics. It’s important that we advance humanity ethically in parallel to advancing our technology.
Holger: The variety of opportunities that will come with new technologies. It is developments I didn’t even dare to imagine two years ago as well as the realisation that I need to spend more time with these kinds topics to stay ahead of the game. To me, the most impressive quote for me was “People underestimate the difference between 95 percent accurate speech recognition and 99 percent”. It shows that we all have a lot to learn and that we can’t
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THE EDIT ISSUE 7 | Q3 2017