Sixteen years ago, Steve Jobs presented the first iPhone, which marked the beginning of the end of the great mobile brand BlackBerry as it was understood at that time. Jobs unveiled his first smartphone: a smartphone that quickly spread around the world. “An artificial intelligence machine that no one was afraid of; nor did they fear the robot seal, which appeared in the late 90s in Japan.”

Journalist Pere Buhigas began his speech and was reassuring regarding the supposed power of artificial intelligence. “The big change is not caused by specific machines but by how we decide to use them: autonomous vehicles, precision medicine, the internet of things, the environment, etc., will cause us to modify our relationship with our environment,” Buhigas said. For this reason, “do not be afraid: Yes, AI will become more important, but companies that want to grow will put more importance on human competencies.”

The reality is that was presented by the OIANT director. And the reality also is that “the machine does not feel, does not think, does not understand anything: everything is zeros and ones.” Therefore, “Although we have to incorporate it with knowledge of the facts and limitations, AI will improve people’s lives in all areas, especially in areas such as health, where we at UIC Barcelona are very much involved”, the speaker continued. Furthermore, speaking of the disinformation that artificial intelligence can lead to, it is this same intelligence that “can help us verify the facts, separating the good from the bad.”

However, the key is always the same, the speaker continued, “Many times, the best fact checkers are those who call on the phone.” And from this point, the advice to keep in mind: “a good media diet, prepared with questions; solvent sources (calling, talking, reading…), because the ‘bad ones’ exist; and to safeguard and work diligently with the data that are available.” In short, “the more educated we are, the less manipulated we will be.”

The purpose of this event was to present the general topic for SAC 2024, “Caring for society in the era of artificial intelligence” and key dates. The aim of this year’s edition is to examine the role of caring for society in the age of AI through study and scientific rigor and an interdisciplinary dialogue that can be very stimulating and transforming. All participants will present their projects at the final conference that will take place on 2 March.