Big Think

Wharton professor: 4 scenarios for AI’s future | Ethan Mollick for Big Think+

34 snips
May 21, 2025
Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor and author of "Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI," discusses the transformative potential and challenges posed by AI. He outlines four future scenarios for AI’s development, ranging from optimistic growth to existential risks. Mollick emphasizes viewing AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement, advocating for proactive choices to ensure its beneficial use. He also highlights AI's role in enhancing creativity and addressing real-world problems, urging responsible engagement with this powerful technology.
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INSIGHT

AI Challenges Humanity Ideas

  • AI challenges traditional ideas of humanity and intelligence by outperforming humans in certain tasks.
  • We maintain control over AI use by choosing how to deploy it to enhance human flourishing.
INSIGHT

Large Language Model Breakthrough

  • Large language models transformed AI by understanding context across sentences and paragraphs.
  • They unexpectedly excel at diverse tasks like medicine and creativity beyond just text prediction.
INSIGHT

AI as General Purpose Technology

  • AI is a general purpose technology with transformative societal impact like steam power or the internet.
  • Its future is uncertain, so it's better to envision scenarios rather than certainties.
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