Why USA urgently needs a “Secretary of Artificial Intelligence” Cabinet Member Political Role
…and also why every political system on the planet should reasonably incorporate a similar top level (or higher) cabinet Ai based role into their political systems.
This April 25, 2020, article is adapted from a December 29, 2019 article of mine in the local Jamaican Newspaper, Gleaner.
In 2016, in a face-to-face talk, I had advised The Jamaican University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona’s artificial intelligence lecturer to introduce artificial neural networks, also known as modern artificial intelligence (AI), as an independent course to the computer science degree. Artificial neural networks power many smart applications today, ranging from self-driving cars to automated disease diagnosers.
In 2016, I also began something called Machine Learning Jamaica Institute (MLJI), which later, on June 2, 2018, (which was supposed to be the planet’s first University like institution dedicated to Artificial Intelligence). MLJI had a free online curriculum, including a 2017 artificial intelligence book written by myself. The goal was to establish a physical building dedicated to artificial intelligence, to prepare the nation for growing automation.
Of note, last year in 2019, Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, announced it would start “the world’s first University of Artificial Intelligence” in 2020, capitalising on the fact that an increasing number of countries are becoming more and more serious about artificial intelligence education.
RESULTS FROM FAILURE TO FOCUS ON AI, BY THE NUMBERS
Notably, one forecast via BBC News and McKinsey Global Institute, places 800 million jobs to be lost to automation up until the year 2030. Another forecast by Bank of America has 800 million jobs to be lost up until year 2035. In the United States alone, four million jobs have already been automated away in recent years. In Canada, in November, 27,500 manufacturing jobs were lost.
Of note, automation has already destroyed 20 million jobs in a select number of regions, according to Econlib, and this current Covid19 pandemic is reasonably set to increase automation.
SECRETARY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REQUIRED, AND WHY STEM SCHOOLS WITHOUT AI FOCUS MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT
For example, there are smart apps that are better than humans at disease diagnosis.
As I came up with the idea of adding a Secretary of Artificial Intelligence to USA’s political portfolio some in 2018, it was reassuring to later discover that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has had a minister of state of artificial intelligence since 2017, the first and only other nation with this portfolio to date.
A portfolio/Cabinet role separate from the broad Secretary of Energy needs be created, so that individuals may take on pressing automation-based endeavours. The Secretary of Artificial Intelligence of USA should reasonably intimately understand how these smart applications work, and understand the implications of automation/AI, and perform actions like pushing for facilities like Machine Learning Jamaica Institute or University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi to exist.
