Iceland's President: Rethink Education for AI Era

Iceland's President Halla Tómasdóttir has identified four major themes emerging from discussions at the AI for Good Global Commission conference in Geneva. A primary focus, she noted, is the imperative to harness artificial intelligence for solving existing societal challenges, rather than inadvertently creating new ones. "There is a solution-oriented mindset," Tómasdóttir told mbl.is, highlighting the private sector's emphasis on fostering entrepreneurship. She stressed that to be in a "solution mode," it is crucial to enhance people's skills, ensuring this access is not confined to tech hubs like San Francisco but is available to smaller nations, communities in the Global South, and people of all ages.

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There is a solution-oriented mindset. ... you need to think about how you increase people's skills and ensure that it is not just done in San Francisco or the tech cities but that this skill is available to small nations, communities in the Global South, poor people, young people, old people.

A second significant point of discussion was the urgent need to reimagine educational systems. Tómasdóttir suggested that current university education may not align with future job markets. "We are probably educating young people in universities around the world today for fields they will barely work in," she stated. This necessitates a complete rethinking of education, alongside a focus on continuous learning and skill updates for the general workforce. She anticipates that while some jobs will disappear, new ones will emerge, requiring new skills for a new era.

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We are probably educating young people in universities around the world today for fields they will barely work in. So, education must be rethought entirely in light of what is happening and also focus on retraining and updating skills and competencies in the labor market in general. I believe there will be jobs that disappear and others that replace them, but new skills are needed to meet new times.

Thirdly, Tómasdóttir observed a strong consensus on establishing shared guidelines and guardrails for artificial intelligence. The goal is to ensure safety and rationality in steering this technological revolution for the benefit of humanity. She expressed surprise at the broad agreement among participants from the private sector, politics, human rights advocacy, and both the Global North and South. A key point of agreement was the necessity of providing equal access to technology and skills, ensuring AI benefits the world. Failure to do so, she warned, could exacerbate inequality and create an unsustainable global order.

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I think it may have surprised me the most that there was quite good consensus, whether individuals from the private sector, politicians, ministers, human rights activists, or people from the Global North and South spoke. Everyone agreed that everyone needs equal access to technology and skills so that artificial intelligence benefits the world. If it further increases inequality, a new world order will be created that will not work for anyone.

Finally, Tómasdóttir addressed widespread concerns about the substantial energy required for AI development. She pointed out the significant disparity in computational power, with the US controlling 75% of the necessary resources, China 15%, and Europe only 5%. This leaves little for smaller nations. "This conversation is making people realize how great and growing the inequality is," she remarked. Her overarching message emphasized that trust is a fundamental infrastructure, essential for building a framework that benefits all.

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Talking about the danger of increasing inequality, it takes a lot of energy and computing power for this revolution. As it stands today, 75% of the computing power needed to use artificial intelligence to solve societal problems is in the United States, 15% in China, and 5% in Europe. So there is little left for small nations and others when you think it all the way through. This conversation is making people realize how great and growing the inequality is.