AI Leaders Gather at TIME100 Impact Dinner to Discuss the Technology’s Potential

At a recent event in San Francisco, prominent figures in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) gathered to discuss the technology’s potential to transform our world. Among the panelists were inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, researcher and Brookings Institution fellow Chinasa T. Okolo, director of the U.S. Artificial Safety Institute (AISI) Elizabeth Kelly, and Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar S. TIME’s editor-in-chief, Sam Jacobs, moderated the discussion.

Kurzweil expressed his belief that we will achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a form of AI capable of exceeding human intelligence, by 2029. He acknowledged the widespread skepticism surrounding AI, stating, “Nobody really took it seriously until now. People are convinced it’s going to either endow us with things we’d never had before, or it’s going to kill us.”

Cognizant sponsored the event, which celebrated the 100 most influential individuals driving change in the AI landscape. The gathering highlighted the contributions of computer scientists, business leaders, policymakers, advocates, and others at the forefront of this evolving industry. Jacobs engaged the panelists, three of whom were included in the 2024 list, in a dialogue about the opportunities and challenges presented by AI’s rapid advancement.

Kumar discussed the potential economic impact of generative AI, citing a study by Cognizant that projected generative AI could contribute over a trillion dollars annually to the US economy by 2032. He identified key obstacles hindering widespread adoption, including the need for improved accuracy, cost-effectiveness, responsible AI practices, and explainable outputs. “If you don’t get productivity,” he said, “task automation is not going to lead to a business case stacking up behind it.”

Okolo highlighted the growth of AI initiatives in Africa and the Global South, citing the work of professor Vukosi Marivate from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, who has inspired a new generation of researchers within and outside the continent. However, Okolo acknowledged the uneven progress in diversifying the languages used to train AI models, with grassroots communities in Africa leading the charge despite limited support and funding.

Kurzweil expressed his excitement about the potential of simulated biology to revolutionize drug discovery and development. By simulating billions of interactions within days, he noted, researchers can accelerate the process of finding treatments for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. He also offered a long-term perspective on the exponential growth of computational power, predicting a steeper S-curve (a gradual start followed by rapid growth before leveling off) for AI disruption compared to previous technological revolutions. 

Kelly addressed concerns about AI’s potential for content manipulation in the context of the 2024 elections and beyond. “It’s going to matter this year, but it’s going to matter every year more and more as we move forward,” she noted. She added that AISI is working to advance the science behind detecting synthetically generated content and authenticating genuine information.

Kelly also pointed out that lawmakers have been focusing on AI’s risks and benefits for some time, with initiatives like the AI Bill of Rights and the AI Risk Management Framework. “The president likes to use the phrase ‘promise and peril,’ which I think pretty well captures it, because we are incredibly excited about stimulant biology and drug discovery and development while being aware of the flip side risks,” she said.

As the panel concluded, Okolo urged attendees, which included nearly 50 other prominent figures and present TIME100 AI honorees, to consider critically how they develop and apply AI and to strive to ensure that its benefits reach underrepresented regions in a positive manner. 

“A lot of times you talk about the benefits that AI has brought, you know, to people. And a lot of these people are honestly concentrated in one region of the world,” she said. “We really have to look back, or maybe, like, step back and think broader,” she implored, encouraging industry leaders to think about individuals from Africa to South America to South Asia and Southeast Asia. “How can they benefit from these technologies, without necessarily exploiting them in the process?”

The TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of AI was presented by Cognizant and Northern Data Group.