Two leading scientists offer their visions for the future of technology in this engaging DLD25 session. Psychologist Sandra Matz and neuroscientist Moran Cerf, partners in both research and life, map out transformations at the intersection of technology, human performance, and mental health.
Cerf recounts his experience working with the U.S. government on AI-assisted decision-making processes. After being “laughed out of the room” four years ago for suggesting AI-assisted nuclear launch decisions, he now finds Pentagon leaders asking detailed implementation questions. “The entire conversation was about: how would the AI work, where should it be situated, would it make the choice or just be an aid?”, Cerf says.
To address the rapid change in attitudes regarding AI and other rapidly evolving technologies, Cerf and Matz created the Center for Advanced Technology and Human Performance at Columbia University. Its mission is to “think of ways that huge technology can help humans perform better”, Cerf explains.
Matz spotlights mental health as an urgent test case. With only 13 professionals per 100,000 people needing care globally, AI can bridge gaps through passive monitoring, such as “detecting sleep changes or reduced social contact”, and chatbots as therapy tools, she argues.
“I’m not saying that AI is going to solve that problem altogether or that it’s going to replace human therapists”, Matz notes. “But I do think we can make a substantial dent in that space.”
Cerf describes technologies that could help humans physically experience other people’s feelings, like an exoskeleton that simulates Parkinson’s tremors for caregivers.
“We can basically physically put them in this condition”, he says, which fosters empathy and understanding for the patient because “you’re not just imagining how it would be to be them – you for a second have had the experience.”
Watch the video for further insights into the potential of breakthrough technologies, but also ethical questions this will bring up.
