MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – At the Q&A session titled “Open Microphone with the President” with Minsk students, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko answered whether artificial intelligence helps him process large amounts of information, BelTA has learned.
“Don't think that my head is different from yours. It's exactly the same. You just need to be able to systematize information,” the head of state said.
He added that he has to deal not only with a huge amount of data, but also to make decisions.
“You are fully aware that in a society like ours where most people are smart and educated, you simply cannot afford making a systemic, fundamental mistake. This is the most dangerous thing for any decision-maker, especially the one who runs a country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.
He said that he learned to analyze information and identify key points back in university. “It's like a library shelf. All the information is arranged, and when you need to make a decision, you turn to this shelf for the right piece of information, experience (this is very important). At the university, I was taught not so much to accumulate information, but rather to select what I need, to single out key points, and to systematize data,” the president noted.
He emphasized that experience is crucial for the work of the head of state: “Recently, I have appointed many relatively young leaders, senior officials. We need young people. But I believe they have already passed some stages. And my experience, my work as a president helped me see these people in action. They grew up on my watch. And while making personnel decisions I know what record every candidate has. Knowledge is necessary. This is the base, the foundation on which your experience rests.”
Speaking about technology solutions or artificial intelligence, Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he does not use them in analyzing information and making decisions. Moreover, he is cautious about technology. He mentioned the recent story with exploding pagers. He is sure that the higher the position a person holds, the more attention he/she should pay to security.
“I am afraid that this artificial intelligence will eventually take us hostage,” the president noted. He believes that it would be a disaster if at some point, as a result of technological advancement, humans will be sidelined. “This worries me very much and makes me wary,” he noted.
He recalled that in previous years, a human being was at the center of all processes, and this cannot be forfeited. “Yet I understand that we cannot do without this [modern technology]. We must master it, we must harness it,” the Belarusian leader said.
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