Costa Rica’s Strategic Leap: Harnessing People, Innovation, and Sustainability for the Future and Leading the AI Revolution
Greg Asher, SVP of Technology and Strategic Solutions at Feuji, discusses the advantages and challenges artificial intelligence brings to the country in a candid conversation with El Observador, Costa Rica.
San José, Costa Rica – July 15, 2024
First, the tough news
The honeymoon with artificial intelligence (AI) is almost over. After the initial excitement, businesses, individuals, and even the environment face the challenge of analyzing how useful and accessible the advances in this technology will really be.
And now, the optimistic news
Costa Rica offers a combination of elements that could allow it to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the evolution of the AI industry.
Greg Asher, Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategic Solutions at Feuji, the multinational established in Costa Rica, has analyzed various aspects necessary to boost this industry at a national level. He sums up his diagnosis, stating that environmental factors and human talent are part of the key equation for moving forward rapidly in this field. Unlike other scenarios where planning can take five or ten years, AI development now operates on "three-day" timeframes, where everything changes swiftly.
Energy as only Costa Rica would provide it
In simplified terms, AI is understood as the "best algorithm for understanding in the world." Over the past 10 years, it has become possible to concentrate large sets of data on small devices capable of identifying relationships or new information. However, the key challenge is that this infrastructure requires a high level of energy consumption. Asher warns, "If you run this on coal, the world is over." Costa Rica's sustainable energy model, leveraging its unique hydraulic capacity, positions it advantageously. "Not many countries have the hydraulic capacity that Costa Rica has to produce this energy; it has the combination of geology and availability that is what is generating it," explains the expert.
Data centers operating on green energy will set a precedent that others will attempt to replicate, so Costa Rica is already leading the way in sustainability efforts,” he adds. In this scenario, therefore, ground has already been gained for the country. “I see this more as a continuation of the path the country is already on. It’s just the next step in the journey,” Asher explains.
The good and the bad of education
Human resources present another key challenge for AI and other industries. There are two perspectives.
On the side of concerns, Time is pressing. “We have primary education, then secondary education, university, postgraduate studies, then work in industry. Ten years. If we start today with children, 10 years later, it will be very natural for them to use this AI technology. What happens in these 10 years? Can we wait? I don't think so,” he sums up.
As for opportunities, the expectation is the possibility of training skills. “The biggest challenge is how to speed up education. I am not really worried about skills. I think there are natural abilities to take advantage of that make it less necessary to be technically bound,” the expert notes.
Costa Rica's idiosyncrasy and entrepreneurial spirit provide fertile ground in this area. "I've been all over the world; not all cultures have this level of creativity, passion, or ability to think deeply about problems. That's where I think Costa Rica has an advantage because its people are wonderful”, he says.
Points of care for Artificial Intelligence
Beyond Costa Rica, Asher exposes the global situations tied to AI's progress. He insists that no country has a real advantage in practical terms, but countries with more resources to support the infrastructure must protect against misuse. "We need to start thinking about the level of AI in the same way we treat nuclear weapons. We need to have an arms agreement between countries to avoid developing harmful AI technologies," he says. “Nobody is talking about it now. So, I am worried that there will be an incident one day that will lead to all this,” he continues.
AI's rapid development poses unique risks compared to nuclear technology. "Unlike nuclear technology, where there's a preparation time between when you want to do it and when you have the bomb, for AI, it is very short. AI's implementation is immediate once you decide and have the resources; it is available, and it is done," Asher warns.
Be a Blockbuster or a Netflix
To better illustrate the panorama that could come with AI, Asher cites the already classic example of how the Netflix platform surpassed Blockbuster in video rentals, a phenomenon that could be repeated, especially in places that do not advance in the correct adoption of the technology. "Organizations that are resisting AI or limiting its use will be the Blockbusters. Those organizations adopting innovative approaches exploring different ways of doing tasks and thinking out of the box on how to accomplish work will be the Netflixes," he explains. AI research is accelerating, with academic publications increasing by 20% per month. "It's too fast even for technologists. It’s like we’ve never seen it before; there’s so much interest. There's no way an individual can understand everything. This trend has always existed in technology, but AI exaggerates it. So, we are talking about days or hours,” he concludes.
And most importantly, Will AI surpass or replace people?
Given AI's current state and the questions about its future behavior, Asher envisions a future where there would be a shared use between “real life” and the technological factor. “What I want is a world where AI is integrated into our lives in a way that helps us naturally, assisting us with tasks we don’t want to do,” he says.
However, economic factors pose challenges. "The financial pressure to implement AI and speed up the process of putting these intelligent machines in everything may replace humans. On a cold balance sheet, humans are the expensive element—they need food, health care, homes, and free time. AI could push us too far before we realize the need to step back," he estimates. Nonetheless, creativity remains a uniquely human trait. "There are things you can't teach, like creativity," he says.
The future of artificial intelligence, meanwhile, continues to develop every day. Costa Rica has the potential to lead in AI development. "The ingredients are here; all that remains is to bake the cake," Asher concludes.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Incident Response
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. consectetur adipiscing elit.
.