Credit: Getty Images.

Videos of impossibly smart dogs playing with irresistibly adorable babies. Deceptively convincing non-human customer service representatives on the phone or ringing you up. Programs that can write term papers, diagnose diseases and make decisions about military maneuvers.

Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days. And it’s only going to grow.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

We’re not Luddites when it comes to AI. Innovation brought us computers and the internet. Technology has democratized communication and broadened access to information, knowledge and thought in ways that were not long ago the stuff of science fiction.

But AI has the power to profoundly change human civilization – our jobs, our creative expression, our leisure time. And that’s why there must be a smart balance between fostering innovation and doing our best to ensure it’s done right.

Into this critical moment steps President Donald J. Trump, who has a personal financial stake in the........

© Times Union