The Evolution of Systems Biology and its Impact on Society

My official job title is "Professor of Computational Systems Biology". It's a bit embarrassing and I hardly ever mention it, except in jest. Systems Biology was all the rage when I got hired. It was anticipated to "fundamentally transform society".
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— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) March 31, 2023

Then we had 'Big Data', 'Machine Learning' (ML) and 'Artificial Intelligence' (AI), with the latter now having been sold so effectively to the public, that we're on the verge of yet another moral panic (fuelled by some savvy operators pushing both for, and against it).
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— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) March 31, 2023

Don't get me wrong, ML/AI has potential and myriad applications, including many that are being implemented, such as nifty algorithms powering the cameras of our phones, deadly accurate loitering munitions, medical diagnostic tools or impressive text generators such as ChatGPT.
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— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) March 31, 2023

ML/AI will shape our world, but this will be an evolution hardly perceived by most rather than a revolution. People will lose their jobs, as with every new disruptive technology (from the printing press to the internet), and people will find new jobs.
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— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) March 31, 2023

But the whole hysteria around AI - from dystopian fantasies predicting the emergence of novel forms of consciousness enslaving the human race, to utopian speculations about AI making everyone healthy and rich - are all fanciful and totally unrealistic.
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— Prof Francois Balloux (@BallouxFrancois) March 31, 2023