Asimov's 1982 Prediction on AI: Collaboration, Not Competition
2025-04-10
This article revisits a 1982 interview with science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, where he defined artificial intelligence as any device performing tasks previously associated solely with human intelligence. Asimov saw AI and human intelligence as complementary, not competitive, arguing that their collaboration would lead to faster progress. He envisioned AI liberating humans from work requiring no creative thought, but also warned of potential difficulties and challenges of technological advancements, using the advent of automobiles as an example. He stressed the need to prepare for the AI era and avoid repeating past mistakes.