SXSW Explores the Intersection of AI and Communication.

Experts at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas, have expressed concern that those in power are not prepared for the potential and power of artificial intelligence programs. Amy Webb, head of the Future Today Institute, outlined two potential outcomes for AI development over the next 10 years: an optimistic scenario where AI development is focused on the common good, and a catastrophic scenario involving less data privacy, more centralisation of power in a handful of companies, and AI that stifles choices. The direction AI takes depends on the responsibility with which companies develop it and whether government can establish legal guardrails to guide technological developments and prevent their misuse.