For a Human-Centered AI

Is Artificial Intelligence stealing our jobs? FBK tries to answer the big question at G20

March 22, 2017

Paolo Traverso, ICT Center Director was the co-chair of the panel “Digitising Manufacturing” dealing with AI application in future industries. Outcomes of the panel will be officially transmitted to G20 ministers and discussed during the G20 Summit in Berlin April 6-7th '17.

Is it true that the new leaders of the economy are international companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Uber?

Similar companies have the ability to access our data thus gathering a huge amount of information (the so-called “big data”) to train Artificial Intelligence algorithms by using techniques such as the “deep learning” which means learning our preferences, our needs, our desires and our fears. They can now dictate terms to everyone: people, companies, economic ecosystems and even governments.

At the same time, new technologies that are leading to an exponential increase in the volume and types of data available can also help us creating unprecedented possibilities for understanding global patterns of human behavior and for helping decision makers to tackle problems of societal importance, such as monitoring socio-economic deprivation and crime levels, mapping the propagation of disease, understanding the impact of natural disasters and environmental risks, etc.

At the recent #g20digital in Berlin (17th March ’17) Paolo Traverso, FBK ICT center Director, contributed as co-chair in the discussion panel “Digitising Manufacturing”.

From left to right: Dr. Satoshi Sekiguchi, AIST, Japan; Prof. Paolo Traverso, FBK-irst, Italy; Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI, Germany; Prof. Sahin Albayrak, GT-ARC, Turkey; Dr. Philippe Beaudoin, Element AI, Canada.

From left to right: Dr. Satoshi Sekiguchi, AIST, Japan; Prof. Paolo Traverso, FBK-irst, Italy; Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI, Germany; Prof. Sahin Albayrak, GT-ARC, Turkey; Dr. Philippe Beaudoin, Element AI, Canada.

From his point of view, Paolo Traverso stressed the point of the role of Artificial Intelligence for Industries 4.0.

The underlaying (and same old) question is: are these technologies threatening us and stealing our jobs?


“The real challenge is this: how to intervene and how to overcome this fear. The automation and progress can not stop them.

Once the washerwomen came down to the river, in the cold, in the winter; then, the washing machines have arrived. I work in automatic planning, I have to get the most effective way to shape the final product. The change is to think that you can get there with the help of the people. Using big data for a conscious planning, not only for quantifying operation and timing in a factory, but also to analyze interactions with human labor. Clearly, there is alot of training to do: that’s why in Berlin we told about deep learning. (…) In the United States, and so in the richest countries, 42% of jobs are “low creativity”, and therefore at high risk of being replaced. Robots and technology must unleash creativity: whether it is for a musician, even more can be applied to a lawyer.”

From Industry 4.0 (An Industry Revolution) to the jobs of the future, the Artificial Intelligence for Industry could help us fulfill our societal goals, such us sustainability, inclusion and well-being. As it happened while every “big change” before, we have now the chance to face and transform fears into an unprecedented opportunity!


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