Society must change in era of artificial intelligence, says Nvidia boss

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, whose work helped enable artificial intelligence, has stressed that society has no choice but to change in the advent of AI.

Mr Huang has been optimistic about the technology’s potential to rapidly change society, creating faster economic growth and more scientific breakthroughs.

But as the head of a computer chip company now developing AI systems, Mr Huang has felt obligated to respond to critics who warn of job losses and threats to humanity itself.

“We need to create new social norms,” Mr Huang said in an interview. “I would advocate that everybody use AI. Just go engage it.”

He said the ability of AI to build a website, analyse complex documents, guide advanced research or even plan a kitchen remodelling has helped to close the technological divide in America.

People can now do advanced work on computers without having to know how to write software, he added.

Mr Huang stressed that there is a need for government regulation and safety standards for AI, emphasising that national security also needed to be a priority for the technology that has been powering stock market gains and much of the US economy in recent years.

The head of the world’s most valuable company said society will adapt to AI just as it did to cars.

He said cars were once portrayed as killing children, but the world changed its norms by having paths and crossings and stopping kids from playing in the streets.

“When I was growing up, I used to play in the streets,” Mr Huang said. “When cars came along, you obviously can’t play in the streets now.”