Don't be "afraid" of AI, says British Astronaut Tim Peake
The legend of British space exploration will headline Day 1 of the Cheltenham Science Festival 2023
Last updated 5th Jun 2023
British Astronaut Tim Peake warns we should approach Artificial Intelligence (AI) "carefully" but "don't have to be afraid of it."
Ahead of headlining Day 1 of the Cheltenham Science Festival 2023 (June 6th - June 11th), the legend of British space exploration says AI will be the "most transformational technologies that will ever occur to us."
The organisers of the Cheltenham Science Festival want to use this year's event to challenge negative conceptions surrounding AI.
Their Head of Programming, Dr Marieke Navin, is worried advances and benefits of the new technology will be ignored due to experts warning it could lead to "extinction".
Adding, such claims are delving into the world of "scaremongering".
"Regulate it"
Although Tim Peake, the first British sponsored astronaut, is excited by the growth of AI, he does warn that we should approach it "cautiously" and make sure we "regulate it and treat it with respect.
"It's a bit like the climate crisis, we came to the climate crisis late in the day, and now we're trying to find solutions, which we should have been addressing 15 - 20 years ago.
"With AI, we have the chance right now to be ahead of the game, and we need to be ahead the game.
"But if we kick this can down the road, if we don't address it right now, we will find ourselves thinking we should have addressed this sooner."
"Helping us solve problems"
Despite taking the side of caution, Tim Peake says "It's amazing what it could do for us in terms of science, engineering, climate and in terms of agriculture.
"For example, increasing food production, increasing water production, managing our resources, managing our transportation networks, our communication systems, medical diagnosis for patients, building better buildings ... it's endless where AI can be applied that really can help us to solve problems."
Last time British Astronaut Tim Peake spoke at the the Cheltenham Science Festival, it was from the International Space Station in 2016.
This time, with his feet firmly in Cheltenham's Imperial Gardens he won't just be talking about AI but also discussing everything about our universe, while taking questions from audience.