During the week of the United Nations General Assembly, Afiniti hosted a lunchtime discussion with one of the world’s foremost experts in artificial intelligence, Dr. Kai-Fu Lee. 

Thirty guests gathered to celebrate the launch of his new book, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order. Previously, Dr. Lee served as a Vice President at Google and the President of Google China, in addition to holding executive positions at Microsoft, SGI, and Apple. 

Over lunch, guests discussed the future of AI as a powerful tool for human connection and development. Dr. Lee asserted that people are automating themselves into a place where mundane jobs will be performed by robots, freeing up time and capacity for human creativity and curiosity to develop as this technological revolution evolves. In sum, automation is encouraging society to focus on human development.

Dr. Lee also explained the intersection of geopolitics and AI, specifically how China and the United States will square off as AI superpowers of sorts. According to Dr. Lee, China serves as an execution hub for AI advancements coming from the US, with the US acting as innovators and the Chinese acting as the conduit for large scale execution. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the developments surrounding AI will increasingly change the way humans work.

At the end of the event, attendees had the chance to mingle and take home a signed copy of the book. Dr. Lee has long been a friend of Afiniti’s, and we were delighted to host him on the launch day of his new book. If you don’t already have a copy, we would encourage you to pick up one today!