Kasparov

5.30.2017

We must face our fears if we want to get the most out of technology — and we must conquer those fears if we want to get the best out of humanity, says Garry Kasparov. One of the greatest chess players in history, Kasparov lost a memorable match to IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997. Now he shares his vision for a future where intelligent machines help us turn our grandest dreams into reality.

Watch original video at Ted.com

A big day, the release of my TED Talk! Please let me know what you think. This was the most I had ever prepared for a lecture like this and it was a great experience. It was hard to choose which themes from Deep Thinking to include with less than 15 minutes of time on stage, but I decided it was essential to have my personal feelings while facing Deep Blue, the promise of human+machine, and an optimistic finish about how we must dream big and challenge our machines and challenge ourselves.
I was running low on time and actually skipped a section of my talk toward the end. We can call this a deleted scene or the director’s cut! Here is the “missing paragraph” from my rehearsal script:
“We don’t get to pick and choose when and where technological progress stops. People whose jobs are on the chopping block of automation also depend on the next wave of technology to create sustainable new jobs. More intelligent technology is also easier to use—just compare what a child can do with an iPad today versus the training required to create anything on a PC just twenty years ago. Machines that replace physical labor have allowed us to focus more on developing our minds. Intelligent machines are continuing that process, taking over the more menial aspects of cognition and elevating our lives toward curiosity, creativity, beauty, and joy.” 

Garry Kasparov