Largest technology conference in Central and Eastern Europe
Infoshare is one of the largest and most prestigious technology conferences in Central and Eastern Europe, which has been attracting the attention of entrepreneurs, startups, experts and new technology enthusiasts for years. It is not only a place where you can get the latest information from the world of technology, but also a great opportunity to build business relationships and exchange experiences. This year our team decided to join the group of participants, here are our impressions.
AI as a new species: Are we facing an Interspecies Future?
AI is what everyone is talking about! Artificial intelligence was one of the most discussed topics during the speeches and behind-the-scenes conversations. An interesting research perspective was presented by Natalia Hatalska: AI as a new species resulting from evolution on Earth. Does the product of technology have anything in common with biological organisms such as humans and animals? This is certainly a contentious issue, depending on how we define life itself. However, it is hard not to notice some similarities. AI, like humans, is “built” from code, which is a parallel to human DNA. Intelligence, learning and adaptability are also common features. AI, like other animals, uses resources found on Earth to function. The new language models can also interact and exhibit creativity.
As we can see, the similarities are many. But what distinguishes humans from artificial intelligence? The basic difference puts the current primate species behind. AI is developing faster and has more intelligence than humans.
This could potentially lead to conflicts between the two life forms. In the past, humans have exterminated species that threatened their existence – could AI do the same to humanity? The speaker proposed four different scenarios of how human-AI cooperation might unfold. Loss of power is unfortunately one of them.
We are LIMFAC: how do human decisions shape any artificial intelligence system?
An interesting speech was also presented by Professor David Barnes, who devoted his lecture to LIMFAC (limited factors), or factors limiting the development and application of artificial intelligence.
He said literally, “We are LIMFAC when it comes to artificial intelligence and AI ethics. It is humans who are developing, implementing and using this technology in today’s world and will continue to do so in the future. Every decision we make – no matter what stage of the AI lifecycle we are in – matters, including AI experts, legislators, consumers, etc. Even when a person optimizes code, he or she takes into account his or her particular worldview – conscious or not – of his or her code optimization decisions. In a sense, he or she is making a value-based decision that can affect further steps in the development process.”
He divided the things that are clearly holding back AI’s progress into two categories. The technical ones and the more important ones in his opinion, i.e. the human ones, that is, generated consciously or not, by human participation in the processes.
He gave the latter the most attention and categorized them into four important sectors of operation/business, which, in addition to their many obvious benefits and innovation, are characterized by prone to risks:
- Logistics (job shifts, algorithm errors, security concerns).
- Financial services (bias in artificial intelligence, security risks, market volatility).
- Healthcare (privacy risks, security gaps, lack of standardization).
- Education (misuse of student data, disruption of teacher-student relations).
The last part of the speech was devoted to elements that should be important for the development of any business, mainly due to the dynamics of AI applications. He included the development of a business strategy in particular, and then listed such important elements as:
- Engaging leaders in talent acquisition;
- Building AI expertise and dividing roles in teams;
- Data management (collection, storage, security);
- AI Governance (sustainable regulation, human ethics, spirit of innovation).
Time to integrate!
Infoshare is not only about education and professional development. It was also an excellent time for team integration. Attending lectures together, exchanging impressions and ideas during coffee breaks, and meeting over dinner in the evening strengthened our cooperation and sense of unity.
In addition, Infoshare was held in the picturesque Tri-City, which gave us the opportunity to explore this charming region. Walking through the historic streets of Gdansk, relaxing on the beaches of Sopot and exploring the modern corners of Gdynia provided us with many unforgettable experiences. It was a great combination of work and pleasure, which made our team come back with new energy and motivation for action.
