I sat down with the Leslie Fox Prize-winning mathematician, my mentor and friend, Professor Jeremy Levesley, questioning whether mathematical prowess equates to true intelligence and exploring how AI might bridge or widen societal divides.
We discuss how AI reflects our own intelligence and flaws, as well as the need for a more realistic approach to its implementation. However, we first need to start differentiating between mathematics and intelligence. Jeremy challenges the common notion that AI is smarter than humans, highlighting that AI is a tool created by humans and, as such, is only as smart as the humans who program it.
Jeremy argues the importance of an open-minded approach to learning, asserting that the ability to adapt to new situations is the true measure of intelligence.
He criticises the current education system, stating that it does not foster adaptability or encourage the development of ‘finders’, people who can understand how technology can be adapted to solve problems. Instead, it produces ‘grinders’, people who are good at following instructions but incapable of innovating or adapting.
We also discuss the future of AI and the need for a more responsible approach to its implementation. Jeremy cautions against allowing AI to be controlled by a small group of people or corporations. He advocates for a more democratic approach, with AI utilised to improve the lives of people in general, rather than solely benefiting the shareholders of tech companies.
Join this conversation to find out the true power of applied mathematics and how deeply it is integrated into everything that we do and think.
* This conversation was recorded in 2024, before I decided to launch the podcast. Yet the talking points are so relevant to today’s hype-driven AI world that I felt the episode needed to be revived and included in the CEOR debates. It also demonstrates the reality that AI has not really changed much. It’s my counterparts behind the technology who keep on moving the goalposts.
