The Biggest Event in Human History

The Reith Lectures

BBC

Society & Culture, Science, Government, Technology

4.2 • 770 Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2021

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Stuart Russell explores the future of Artificial Intelligence and asks; how can we get our relationship with it right? Professor Russell is founder of the Centre for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at the University of California, Berkeley. In this lecture he reflects on the birth of AI, tracing our thinking about it back to Aristotle. He outlines the definition of AI, its successes and failures, and the risks it poses for the future. Referencing the representation of AI systems in film and popular culture, Professor Russell will examine whether our fears are well founded. He will explain what led him – alongside previous Reith Lecturer Professor Stephen Hawking to say that “success would be the biggest event in human history … and perhaps the last event in human history.” Stuart will ask how this risk arises and whether it can be avoided, allowing humanity and AI to coexist successfully.

This lecture and question-and-answer session was recorded at the Alan Turing Institute at the British Library in London. Presenter: Anita Anand Producer: Jim Frank Editor: Hugh Levinson Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound: Neil Churchill and Hal Haines

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cocklin.
0:02.8	Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them.
0:06.6	My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right.
0:10.6	In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people
0:16.0	who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world.
0:19.8	Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, Louis Braille
0:23.2	and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.7	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. Hello, I'm Stuart Russell, and in my reflectures I'll be exploring what I think will be the
0:41.3	most profound change in human history, the eventual emergence of general purpose artificial
0:47.9	intelligence.
0:50.0	This first lecture of four is called the biggest event in human history.
0:59.0	Welcome to the 2021 BBC Reith Lectures.
1:03.0	We're at the British Library in the heart of London,
1:05.0	and as well as housing more than 14 million books.
1:09.0	We are also home here to the Alan Turing Institute, the National Centre for
1:13.6	Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Set up in 2015, it was of course named after the famous
1:21.3	English mathematician, one of the key figures in breaking the Nazi Enigma Code, therefore saving
1:27.1	countless lives.
1:28.3	We couldn't really think of a better venue to place this year's Reith Lectures,
1:33.3	which will explore the role of artificial intelligence and what it means for the way we live our lives.
1:40.3	Our lecturer has called the development of artificial intelligence the most profound change in human history.
1:48.0	So we've given him four programmes to explain why.
	...

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