A Conversation About AI with Unity's Manuel Sainsily

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into AI.

I’m Manuel Sainsily, a senior advocate at Unity for emerging technology, but I’m formally trained in design, especially UX design. I have a masters in computer science and for the past 14 years I’ve been working as a product designer. I have also delved into areas such as art, branding and marketing etc.

I’ve worked at IBM as a consultant for about four years and during my time there, I became deeply involved in the artificial intelligence and machine learning aspects of the company. This led me to specialize in extended reality, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, as they shared many similarities.

As I moved through the next phase of my career, I made a shift towards public speaking, teaching, and educating individuals about emerging technologies. My objective is to create a connection between generations by fostering a deeper understanding of these advanced technologies.

At Unity, my current job involves public speaking engagements where I discuss our AI tools and services but also more specifically focus on topics that are important to me, such as ethics, diversity & inclusion and accessibility.

What is AI exactly?

AI has become a buzzword, especially in the past 24 months. It’s a bit like the dot-com bubble where every company was calling themselves a mobile company or an internet company. AI has gone through a significant evolution in recent times, so I would say that it is just the new age of data. We moved from communicating data to harvesting data and now we are using data. So it’s just an evolution.

AI is nothing new. What people call AI nowadays is very different from what people called AI ten years ago. If we look back, AI was often associated with smart assistants like Alexa, Google Play, and Siri, as well as automation, IoT (internet of things), ect. So being able to change your lights or to have the right playlist on Spotify or the perfect movie that you want to watch on Netflix, or if you’re talking to your mom about diapers or baby, you might get Amazon ads on Instagram etc.

When we talk about AI today, we are talking about natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, large language models, and conversational AI. The difference for me is that AI is no longer just a tool that serves a purpose but is rather a co-creator, a partner that collaborates with us in various tasks and projects.

Why is there a rise in AI Tools all of a sudden?

I read an article last week that was saying that the AI marker is a 4.4 trillion dollar industry. Obviously, everyone is going to try to get a piece of it and that’s why every company is trying to add an AI service or integrate a level of chat. I would say that the main reason that this is happening is because there is a shift in the way we communicate with technology.

The way we interact with computers is very mathematical, very complex. Back in the day, to understand how computers worked, we needed to learn the language, learn how to code, learn to program, create artifacts, learn the graphical user interface, learn the operating system etc. But now, all we need is a textbox. For the first time, the computer is learning to communicate with us by using our language. We are no longer trying to adapt to the machine, the machine is adapting to us. This shift has made AI more accessible to a broader audience, not just for niche markets or tech-savvy individuals.

How do you address concerns about potential risks and the impact of AI? How do we ensure responsible AI integration in our society?

I love this question because I think that’s the value of having me on that floor, on that stage instead of anyone else you could ask the question to, because I think everybody would give you the same answer, which is what science fiction has been focusing on for the past 60 years. It is dystopian, right? Technology is going to kill us. How many movies can we cite where robots are trying to kill us? I have at least 20.

For me, coming from the Caribbean, my perspective is quite different from everyone else. Having traveled a lot, I’ve had the chance to experience other societies, which gives me a unique outlook on the world. I might be absolutely wrong but I think that ” you create what you think and manifest what you work on”. There’s a quote from my biggest influence, Syd Mead who is a futurist that worked on Alien, Blade Runner and all the big sci-fi movies, and he said: “It’s not the responsibility of the futurist to paint beautiful worlds, but it’s our duty to sound the alarm on potential dangers that the future might hold.” The problem with that, even though I respect Syd Mead, is that by making so much sci-fi about the negative traits of the world, instead of creating warnings, we’ve created blueprints. So now we’re at a point of saturation where everything is dystopian and the big companies and governments of the world just have to inspire themselves from this media and recreate the very thing we are trying to avoid.

So a good question could be, well, everything is so doomed, so what are we fighting for, why are we continuing to push stuff? It’s natural for people to raise concerns when a new technology emerges, especially one as transformative as AI. But it’s also important to remember that there are traits and values, like empathy, understanding and communication which are at the core of the human spirit that are not replaceable by AI.

So instead, what I try to do in my work is to paint a future that is positive, that is optimistic, not utopias, which are usually kind of used as the opposite of dystopia, because a utopia by definition is not achievable. Instead, I talk about the Protopia. So instead of telling you that the world is doomed, I try to paint a future that is accessible, that is visible and that we can work towards.

Now, if you ask me my personal opinion, not the one of someone that works at Unity, is AI good for humanity? I would just say that AI is a tool. We are obviously doom scrolling right now and we’re thinking about how complex and powerful it is. That It might be the end of us, but so is a gun, so is the Internet and so is technology in general. Those are tools, and tools can do three things for humans. Help them achieve a goal better, do more with less resources or accelerate the speed at which we can do something. How you decide to act on those things and how to use those tools and integrate them is up to the individual. So if you try to integrate these tools too quickly without thinking about the ethical side and consequences, you will obviously make mistakes. Since it is a new technology, it will disrupt. The same way photography disrupted traditional painting jobs but also led to the birth of new mediums.

Some question whether AI-generated art can be considered “real” art. How do you view the use of AI in art, and what defines an artist?

The debate about AI-generated art’s authenticity is subjective and is based on personal perspectives. I would say that to any artist out there, I’m a traditional artist that comes from a painter dad and a mother that went through the fine art school of Paris. I’ve been trained by my grandmother, who was the first art teacher in the French-Caribbean in the nineties. And I did a lot of paintings in my time and still, I never called myself a painter or an artist because I realized that I was doing it more as a hobby. I practice the piano, but does that make me a pianist ?

The definition of an artist is not limited to traditional training or the effort put into creating art. An artist is someone who communicates a message through their work and AI can be just another tool to achieve that. Whether AI is used minimally or extensively, what matters is the message conveyed and the pride the artist takes in their creation.

AI has both opportunities and challenges. How can we strike a balance and harness AI’s potential for positive impact?

Striking a balance with AI involves recognizing its potential for both positive and negative outcomes. It’s crucial to focus on responsible AI use, addressing biases and fine-tuning AI systems. Businesses and individuals should approach AI with a purpose and a message to share. By using AI as a tool to amplify creative expression and contribute to the betterment of society, we can harness its potential for positive change.

How can businesses and individuals make the most of AI’s opportunities in the evolving landscape?

To leverage AI opportunities, businesses and individuals should educate themselves about AI technologies and their applications. Rather than fearing AI, embrace it as a tool to solve problems and enhance creativity. Explore free educational content and platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney to familiarize yourself with AI’s potential. By staying informed and proactive, one can make the most of AI’s opportunities in various fields.