Will AI be an economic blessing or curse? Clues from history albawaba.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from albawaba.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
If medieval advances in the plough didn't lift Europe's peasants out of poverty, it was largely because their rulers took the wealth generated by the new gains in output and used it to build cathedrals instead. Economists say something similar could happen with artificial intelligence (AI) if it enters our lives in such a way that the touted benefits are enjoyed by the few rather than the many. "AI has got a lot of potential - but potential to go either way," argues Simon Johnson, professor of global economics and management at MIT Sloan School of Management.
Backers of AI predict a productivity leap that will generate wealth and improve living standards. Consultancy McKinsey in June estimated it could add between $14 trillion and $22 trillion of value annually - that upper figure being roughly the current size of the U.S economy.
Economists say something similar could happen with artificial intelligence (AI) if it enters our lives in such a way that the touted benefits are enjoyed by the few rather than the many.
Analysis - Will AI be an economic blessing or curse? History offers clues By Reuters investing.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from investing.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.