Last Wednesday, the Water Museum of Alicante hosted a key meeting on Artificial Intelligence (AI), featuring Andrés Pedreño, founder of Torre Juana OST and former rector of the University of Alicante, and Lasse Rouhiainen, author of the book "Master AI Before It Masters You." Moderated by journalist Jorge Brugos, both experts analyzed the impact of AI on society and the urgency to adapt to this technological revolution. Pedreño, known for his pioneering vision in digitalization and AI, emphasized the need to transform the educational system. He advocated for "co-intelligence," a collaboration between human knowledge and AI, and stressed that rote learning should give way to the development of critical thinking. He recalled that historically, the arrival of new technologies like the printing press or calculator generated similar fears, but society managed to adapt. He insisted that the educational revolution must include both young people and adults, warning about the lag of universities compared to the advancement of AI, which already surpasses humans in tasks like programming. Rouhiainen, for his part, emphasized that "every day without mastering AI is a missed opportunity" and proposed that everyone should have a personal AI "agent" to manage their tasks. He warned that the biggest current mistake is not using these tools and explained that the process of adopting AI goes through different stages, from ignorance to advanced use, stressing the importance of investing time in learning to handle them to avoid falling behind professionally. The conversation also addressed the relationship between AI and defense. Pedreño warned that future wars will be technological and that Europe must invest in generative, cognitive, and physical AI to avoid falling behind the United States and China. He noted that defense could be a lever to regain European technological leadership, citing recent examples of cyberattacks and hybrid warfare. In the academic field, Pedreño defended a teaching model based on active participation, following the example of MIT, which openly shares its knowledge. He argued that universities should offer lively and participatory educational experiences, beyond mere information transmission. Finally, Pedreño reflected on local technological development, comparing Alicante to Málaga. He attributed Málaga's success to political consensus and suggested that Alicante should leverage its strengths, such as tourism and the biosanitary ecosystem, to boost its own innovation model. He acknowledged that previous attempts have been insufficient and advocated for a more effective strategy. Source: lavanguardia.com