In the feverish race to achieve AGI, one of the key markers is the ability of AI to cure cancer. The promise is pretty much rhetorical because cancer is universally feared, nearly everyone knows someone affected by it and it frames opposition to AI development as anti-humanitarian. The conversation is framed thus: if the technology could save millions of life, how could we justify slowing it down?
But surely this is a manufactured dilemma. the central thess were repeatdly told is either accelrate AI as fast as possible or lose its transformative benefits forever. But in the pursuit of ‘curing cancer’ we’re becoming reckless in the deployment of super intellegece which gives us down sides such as ‘Mythos’ the skeleton key to all of our financial infastrcture. So its worth re-examining the cancer cure language which has become quazi religion in promisng total erradication.
Cancer is hundreds of diseases, its genetically and environmentally diverse and if that wasnt enough, its biologically adapted. So while AI may accelerate drug discovery, improve imaging diagnostics, be fantastic at personalising treatments and as alpha fold has taught us, model proteins or tumour behaviour, any promise of total erradication is pie in the sky. But why is this heresy?
The media led accelerationist position of move fast and break things is holy inappropriate to oncology which relies upon a more measured, clinical approach. While narrow AI can no doubt support advances in cancer research to conflate the end point of curing cancer with the need for AGI is not only disingenious but is entirly self serving for the tech companies concerned. According to Dr Emilia Javorsky, director of the futures program
We all need to take a pause in thinking about where this AI race is taking us. While we all want to advance into some sort of AI utopia, the risks of unbridled AI research (misalignment for one) mean not that the utopia will be ever receding as we create more problems using AI than we potentially could cure.
by Quint Boa, AI Video Executive & Producer
Quint is an Executive Producer specialising in AI video production for the healthcare sector. Quint has worked for over 40 years in the film, radio, and television industries. Twenty-five years ago, he founded Synima, a global video production company. Quint has embraced artificial intelligence in the creative process. Working with trusted colleagues, he’s developed a hybrid approach to AI within video production that expedites workflows and reduces costs. Quint believes ‘your health is your wealth’ and is enthiastic about every aspect of healthcare. As a UKCP-qualified psychologist, Quint feels uniquely equipped to support the communication challenges the healthcare faces by combining his experience with AI video production techniques, psychological insight and practical solutions.