There seems to be a lot of fear among the population about the consequences of artificial intelligence (AI), observes Carlos Coello Coello, a pioneer of this technological development that is constantly making headlines due to its advancements in everyday life. "That surprised me quite a bit," which is why he believes it's necessary to talk about its real impact. While it may displace certain jobs, it's not as if it will wipe out humanity. "At least for the moment, the conditions don't exist for a well-founded fear in that direction."
Coello (Tonalá, Chiapas, 1967) is the first computer science specialist to enter El Colegio Nacional. On May 5, the researcher and professor gave an inaugural address during the ceremony presided over by astrophysicist Susana Lizano, the current president of the college, in the main auditorium of the campus on Donceles Street. Chemist Eusebio Juarísti delivered the inaugural address.
In an interview, he explains that AI emerged in the 1950s and this is its second, albeit stronger, boom. "As such, what it does is simulate the way humans solve problems on a computer, but the goal has always been to make our lives easier; that doesn't mean it's going to solve them."
He adds that "something that many people lose sight of regarding artificial intelligence programs is that they generally respond to an algorithm and certain information that it accesses, but they don't have consciousness like a human."
The expert belongs to the generation born before the evolution of the Internet and the digital age, so as he trained, he learned about and participated in the advances. "Many people still don't understand how computer science research is done. They think it's just about writing programs. In reality, it's very similar to applied mathematics," with many areas. In his case, he specializes in evolutionary algorithms that, based on theories of natural evolution, provide solutions using mechanisms observed in biology.
