\n<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: The global artificial intelligence race may be accelerating, but for Google DeepMind\u2019s chief operating officer Lila Ibrahim, the real competition should not be about technological supremacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people throw around the term\u00a0\u2018AI race\u2019, I think we need to take a step back and say,\u00a0\u2018What race is this really about?\u2019\u201d she told CNA at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Wednesday (Nov 19).<\/p>\n
Her comments came amid intensifying talk of global AI dominance, with American chip giant\u00a0Nvidia\u2019s chief executive Jensen Huang\u00a0recently saying China is\u00a0well-positioned to lead the field due to lower energy costs and looser regulations.<\/p>\n
But Ibrahim said the more important question is how societies can balance AI\u2019s risks and opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be thoughtful stewards of the technology,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust throwing the technology out there, that’s not a race worth having, right? The race is about \u2026 solving some of humanity’s biggest challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that the goal of AI as a tool for human progress underpins DeepMind\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
The company \u2013 Google\u2019s AI research arm \u2013 was founded in the United Kingdom in 2010 and acquired by Google\u00a0in 2014.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lab\u2019s notable breakthroughs include developing AlphaGo, the first computer programme to defeat a Go world champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
DeepMind also announced on Wednesday the opening of a new research lab in Singapore, its first in Southeast Asia,\u00a0which will focus on using AI to address issues such as education and healthcare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n