AI + The New Human Frontier

CHAPTER 7The Acceleration of AI

The exponential rate of technological change is making it so that each technology builds on others to create new ways of collecting and mining information, accumulating financial data, changing the nature of work, connecting various constituents with each other, establishing global interconnectedness, and making instantaneous decisions. One of the lasting impacts of COVID was that it accelerated many previously developing trends. This includes the move to more distributed, hybridized, and flexible workforces. Ultimately, one of the most impactful trends to consider here is how the circumstances of the last few years have accelerated the reality that AI will both displace and augment large sectors and subsectors of human labor. Before we delve into that, let's look at how AI has evolved … and where it is going.

Half a billion years ago, life on earth experienced a short period of extremely rapid diversification known as the Cambrian explosion. This remarkable event was a mere snapshot when numerous new species emerged within a relatively brief span of time. Another Cambrian explosion might be upon us again: this time it is human-made. An AI Cambrian explosion looms as a disruptive economic force. Progress in the capabilities of AI systems is driven by advancements in computing power, data, and algorithms—and all three are accelerating. While exact figures are difficult to project, PwC's Global Artificial Intelligence Study puts the potential contribution ...