Will A.I. Ruin Us?
Professor and machine-learning expert Matt Johnson
takes on Skynet, spying and where the technology is going next
Professor Matt Johnson, who has been with Cal State East Bay since 1999, began studying political science at Xavier University at the age of 15. Though his parents might have preferred him to become a lawyer or a doctor, the teenage prodigy was fortunately distracted by video games and the seminal era of computer programming — “punch cards and Pong,” as he says.
After leaving Xavier with degrees in both political science and computer science, Johnson obtained a master’s in computer engineering at Michigan State — where his first foray into artificial intelligence occurred — followed by a Ph.D. in computer science at William & Mary, making him, he reports, one of the first students to complete a doctoral degree in that discipline from the university. Since then, the professor has worked on AI projects such as in-flight pilot automation for NASA, air-traffic control strategies, military surveillance, published a textbook on computational theory, and more. Here, amidst fears of artificial intelligence evolving beyond human control, Johnson answers questions about what he believes are the real concerns with AI. Hint: It isn’t robots falling from the sky.