Reflektor / Spotlight
We start by asking Dr Rakić where Serbia stands in the world of artificial in- telligence... “According to the Global Inno- vation Index 2022, Serbia ranks 55 th , while our country is the re- gional leader in terms of innovation performance. The Institute for Ar- tificial Intelligence of Serbia repre- sents the first institute of this type to be established in Southeast Eu- rope and aims to be a link between science and business, in order to contribute to the development of capacities for innovation in Serbia. Similarly, several lessons on the subject of artificial intelligence were added to the curriculum for sev- enth and eighth grade high school pupils in 2021, while master’s pro- grammes linked directly to artifi- cial intelligence have been launched, and that has happened at faculties in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš.” Artificial intelligence offers immeasurable possibilities and could change more or less everything we do and the way we live. Where is that most evident? “The possibilities of artificial intelligence really are immeasura- ble, but I think they’re most evident where we use them on a daily ba- sis, or rather where they ease our lives, and maybe even help. So, for example, we have user experiences in shopping, online searches, vari- ous streaming platforms for music or watching films. There where we enjoy the benefits of artificial in- telligence, from Google Maps on- wards, are probably the most ev- ident possibilities for everyone, though we might not even know that it’s all AI. However, I don’t con- sider the most beneficial use of ar- tificial intelligence as the one that’s most obvious. The most beneficial uses aren’t the most obvious to us. This is the case, for example, in the field of healthcare, or in produc- tion, when it comes to optimising the operations of some factories...”
The notion that the econ- omy must be based on knowledge and innova- tion, and not on manual la- bour, seems to be becom- ing increasingly prevalent. Should that concern us? “I think that should make us happy, and not cause us to worry. Humans are thinking beings and what distinguishes us from animals is creativity and the ability to con- template, thus I think that contrib- utes to a better and brighter future for people, who might have few- er physically demanding jobs, and more of those that are mentally and creatively challenging.” People are still quite hesi- tant regarding AI. Is there reason for fear? Could ma- chines replace us? “I think people everywhere are wary of artificial intelligence and we also commonly hear worrying state- ments from those dealing with indi- vidual areas of artificial intelligence. I would say that there’s no cause for fear, but there is cause for caution. We have to be cautious with every new technology and every new dis- covery, and to use it responsibly and intelligently.” When talk turns to AI, the issue of ethics is often mentioned. How do you view that; where are the boundaries, if indeed there are any? “Ethics guidelines are extreme- ly useful and I don’t think ethics should be left down to the individ- ual, and nor should the selection of ethical boundaries, rather that must be regulated. And ethics in AI is regulated by an act on the re- sponsible and trustworthy applica- tion of artificial intelligence at the European level, and we also have a draft of just such an act for Ser- bia. We can discuss the bounda- ries and whether they exist, but it’s certain that not even ten peo- ple would agree if they were gath- ered in one room. The boundaries will therefore be set in the form of
The Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia What was science fiction until yesterday is reality today I can’t imagine a world in which machines will replace people; I can imagine a world in which machines will carry out difficult and dangerous jobs, while people do those creative ones that machines will never be capable of doing
a single law, order, and act, and writing those guidelines should in- clude the participation of not only experts in the field of artificial in- telligence, but also experts in the fields of various humanities, law and others.” AI has perhaps the most applications in medicine. One of my friends in New York was operated on by a robot. That sounds a bit scary to me, what do you think? “For me, the application of arti- ficial intelligence in medicine is very important. I know that Robot-As- sisted Surgery exists, where a robot assists a doctor with an operation, and I find that very comforting, not scary, because a human hand can never be as stable or precise as a ro- botic hand. If operations are per- formed in this way, they are less invasive and much more precise. Although I’m not an expert in it, Robot-Assisted Surgery seems saf- er and more reliable than a doctor having to do everything by them- selves during some very lengthy operation.” There’s nevertheless some- thing truly scary in the no- tion that machines could “take over”, like in The Ter- minator or The Matrix. Fiction aside, could that which remains in the realm of science fiction today be- come some distant future reality? “The idea that machines will take over is indeed terrifying, of course it is! As I’m a big fan of sci-fi and I love The Terminator, I’ve seen some things in the field of biotech that were sci-fi and are now reality. However, nothing is happening yet even though there’s talk of how they will clone us, how someone will take our DNA and make identical repli- cas. That still hasn’t happened de- spite being spoken about for more than 30 years, and it won’t happen, and nor is science even heading in that direction, because it’s actual-
ly heading in the direction of ex- tending human life. I’m entertained by The Matrix and The Terminator, and perhaps what scares me hypo- thetically is how we will prepare our children for such a future. I think we need to teach them to be much more flexible than we were, nev- er mind our parents. The occupa- tions that exist today won’t exist in ten or twenty years, and now I can’t even predict what those oc- cupations of the future will be. Our youngsters have to be open-mind- ed, to learn constantly and adapt to a new market.” I asked ChatGPT who he is. He said that he’s software, artificial intelligence, with- out physical existence and without personal feelings or consciousness. How far are we from the possibili- ty of developing conscious- ness or emotions? “I think the main question here is defining consciousness and emo- tions, and it seems to me that those are extremely philosophical ques- tions. That’s the same as when I was asked a question when I was dealing with biotechnology, and that was whether we can make life and let’s define life. What does it mean to be a living organism? If I’m capable of creating a synthetic cell, have I cre- ated life? Those are all philosophi- cal questions that, it seems to me, are beyond the realm of science, and I would leave it to the philos- ophers and theologians, who have a greater capacity to contemplate in that direction.” Have you chatted with ChatGPT; how does it seem to you? “I have, of course. Who hasn’t chatted with ChatGPT? I also find that kind of chatting fun. I asked him questions like those trivial ones, to write me a composition or a song, to some more serious things, such as answering some complex scientific questions. I must admit that I sometimes even use it instead of Google or Wikipedia.”
Serbia was the first country in the region to adopt a national strategy for the development of Artificial In- telligence for the 2020-2025 period, and one of the measures stipulat- ed in this strategy is the establish- ment of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Develop- ment of Serbia. Founded in March 2021 by the Government of Serbia, it today em- ploys more than 40 doctors of sci- ence and doctoral students. Head- quartered in Novi Sad, the Institute also has offices in Belgrade, Kragu- jevac and Niš. Speaking for Elevate, Dr Branka Rakić, head of the Insti- tute’s AI in Healthcare and Lifesci-
ence research group, says that the Institute targets the further devel- opment and education of young people in the field of artificial in- telligence, supporting and linking up with industry, and the creation of an ecosystem that will contrib- ute to the further development of artificial intelligence in Serbia. Sci- entists are divided into several re- search groups with differing fo- cuses, and the group that’s led by our interlocutor deals with health- care applications for artificial in- telligence. The Institute’s other re- search groups include: Computer Vision and Remote Sensing; Hu- man Computer Interface; Green AI; and Smart Factory.
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