Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Tuesday (11/07), the 10th session of the Global Summer Week 2023 program series was filled by Dr. Peter Verhezen, a professor from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. This session discussed the various impacts of implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in companies. As a prelude, Dr. Peter stressed that a computer would not be able to compete with the intelligence of the human brain. According to him, unlike the human brain, computers cannot understand the "context" of a thing or condition. In addition, computers also lack some of the features possessed by the human brain, such as flexible communication, plasticity (automatic adaptation), and autonomy in carrying out tasks.

Currently, countries are competing in conducting research and development of artificial intelligence. The United States, which used to lead research related to artificial intelligence, has now been overtaken by other countries, indicating the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence in the global sphere. Dr. Peter argues that implementing artificial intelligence might make us smarter but not wiser. Therefore, we need to use artificial intelligence wisely. In a sense, artificial intelligence is not only used as a tool for maximizing profit, but also requires purpose and meaning in its use.

The commercialization of artificial intelligence also creates collaboration between humans and technology. Dr. Peter gave an example that currently, the implementation of artificial intelligence has developed rapidly in the financial sector. However, artificial intelligence will not be able to replace human performance in the sector completely. He mentioned that it would be difficult for artificial intelligence to carry out work that requires a sense of the process, such as risk management and auditing.

In the end, like two sides of a coin, the existence of artificial intelligence has various impacts. On the positive side, artificial intelligence can personalize products or services, such as Netflix, which provides entertainment recommendations for its users. However, implementing artificial intelligence is also accompanied by challenges like data bias and fairness, ethics, and privacy issues. Therefore, the board of directors must be wise in making decisions, including utilizing artificial intelligence for the company's operations.

Reportage: Rizal Farizi 
Watch the full video at https://youtu.be/xcXTuZdXng8