A conversation with Prof. Nello Cristianini

The Shortcut – how machines became intelligent without thinking in a human way

A conversation with Prof. Nello Cristianini

By reading the media, it might seem as if Artificial Intelligence was born in November 2022, with ChatGPT. Instead, the current form of this technology is the result of decisions that we have made many years ago, and understanding those can help us make sense of it, and of what we should expect from it. To what extent can we say that AI understands the world? What can be the risks in delegating important decisions to our intelligent machines? Can they be used for propaganda or surveillance?

Clearly, we need to prepare ourselves, and future generations, for the changes brought about by our increasing interactions with intelligent machines. However, it is not always clear which measures and actions are needed. The most important measures may well be those about legal regulation, but getting those right requires understanding what we have created.

We sit down with Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath, UK, to discuss the above issues. Prof. Cristianini’s new book, The Shortcut – Why Intelligent Machines Do Not Think Like Us, aims to help non-technical audiences understand the nature of machine intelligence, explaining how modern AI has developed over time, and why AI applications often behave in ways that are not compatible with human values and expectations.

Short Bio: Nello Cristianini is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bath, and a researcher in many areas of Artificial Intelligence, including machine learning theory, natural language processing, social implications of AI, philosophical foundations of AI, computational social science. He is the author of “The Shortcut” published by CRC Press (2023).