The greatest challenge for science over the next decade will be
to learn how to “use Artificial Intelligence for good”, the chair
of the Wellcome Trust health research charity has said.
Julia Gillard, the former prime minister of Australia, said there
was huge potential for scientists to use AI to make breakthroughs
in vital areas like pandemic preparedness, health treatments and
the study of the human genome.
But she said this depended on them having open access to the
novel technologies and warned that “that won’t happen by
accident”, but would require policy interventions by governments.
Delivering the Lord Speaker’s Lecture at the House of Lords on
the evening of 8 November, Ms Gillard gave the example of the
company Deep Mind releasing AI-driven protein-folding software
free for use by scientists.
“They did that out of the goodness of their hearts,” she said.
“They could have made that proprietary, they could have charged
people a lot of money for it and therefore limited access to it.
“Getting AI tools into the hands of scientists who need them is a
public policy challenge for the next 10 years.”
Deriving the most benefit for humanity from AI must involve
common use platforms, allowing the kind of “collaborative” work
that will deliver “bold and innovative” solutions to the world’s
biggest health challenges, said Ms Gillard.
In a wide-ranging talk hosted by the Lord Speaker, , Ms Gillard gave
peers an insight into the ground-breaking scientific research
funded by the Wellcome Trust into areas such as infectious
disease, mental health and the impact of climate change on
health.
“There are things about human biology which we simply don't
understand in the face of climate change,” she said.
“For example, we don't really understand the different long-term
biological responses of those who undergo extreme heat. Most
people around the world who are exposed to long periods of
extreme heat can’t mitigate it the way we can here by fans and
air conditioning and living in reasonable housing and all of
those sorts of things.
“So what does that actually mean in terms of human biology? Where
are the biological limits when it comes to standing up as human
beings, as organisms, in the face of climate change?”
Welsh-born Ms Gillard was Australia’s first – and so far only –
female prime minister, serving from 2010-13.
But she voiced fear that the emergence of social media since her
time in office was acting as a “drag on women’s ambition” and
holding back female politicians from following in her footsteps.
“Social media is just a toxic sewer,” said Ms Gillard.
“The statistics very clearly show that of the hideous things that
get broadcast about politicians in social media,
disproportionately they are broadcast about women.
“I'm not talking about a few little insults. We're talking about
death threats, rape threats. We're talking about death and rape
threats that come with a photograph of your front door, which is
then telling the woman involved ‘I know where you live’. They
come with threats against children.
“There's no doubt in my mind that that is corrosive for the women
who are in there and it is a drag on women's ambition. I meet a
lot of young women who say, ‘I'm interested in politics, but...’
And then always after the ‘but’ is this: ‘Could I take it?’
“They're not saying ‘Could I take the rough and tumble of being
the House of Commons? Could I stand up in parliamentary
questions?’ They're not asking themselves that question. They're
asking themselves whether they can take this kind of social media
toxicity.”
Ms Gillard is the latest in a series of eminent guests to address
peers, MPs and parliamentary staff in the regular series of Lord
Speaker’s Lectures in the House of Lords. Previous speakers have
included US President James Carter, Sir David Attenborough and
Bill Gates. Details of the series can be found at https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/lord-speaker/lectures/
