By Gokhan Ergocun
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AA) - Imagine a world where machines replace humans entirely. That worst-case scenario can be avoided if AI is used to augment -- rather than replace -- human decision-making, an expert said.
'AI improves : the quality of living, as long as it is the combination of human and machine.
'If you take the machine only, then we are creating a world which is beyond our control,' Charles-Edouard Bouee, an artificial intelligence expert and author, told Anadolu at GITEX AI in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
He cited studies showing that people in the tech sector are losing their sense of time due to reliance on machines for quick answers.
Humans need time to grow, just like trees, he said.
He said the ultimate goal should be to eliminate low-value tasks and focus on high-value work.
Pushing to replace humans entirely with machines risks causing mistakes, he said.
He noted that the healthcare sector is among the first to experience massive transformation due to the vast amount of personal data available.
AI has helped ease pressure on crowded health systems and advanced research on human longevity, he said.
Machines have taken over repetitive tasks and activities requiring extensive processing, he said, stressing that human-augmented intelligence empowers the workforce rather than replacing workers.
He urged governments to retrain the workforce so people can embrace new technology rather than resist it.
People inherently fear the unknown, and this is reflected in their attitudes toward technology, he said.
He added that AI can improve surgical precision, driving safety and overall quality of life by freeing up time for people to spend with family or pursue hobbies.
-US-China dominance
Bouee also addressed the global AI race, with the US on one side and China on the other.
'We are not in the first technological wave, we are in the fifth technological wave.
'The first one: computers. Who was the most famous company in the 80s? IBM — now gone. And who was the most famous computer software? Microsoft — and we all use it.'
He said AI development has been led by the United States, with China close behind, while Europe has lagged.
European nations should embrace the technology to reorganize governments efficiently, he said.
'I've put it on most of my books as a foreword : we need to find the balance between human values, which are the most important, and the progress of technology.'
Bouee said Europe and Türkiye possess strong historical values that can help maintain this balance.
