Opinions & Interviews
Lukashenko explains whether information technologies can replace humans
MINSK, 24 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an answer to the question whether information technologies can replace a human being as he met with youth activists on 24 October, BelTA has learned.
A systems engineer with the Kobrin bread production plant of OAO Beresteisky Pekar wondered what the head of state thinks about how much advanced technologies can replace farmers and whether they will be able to replace humans in the future at all.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I may be exceedingly conservative in this regard. Nothing will ever be able to replace a person.”
At the same time he remarked that artificial intelligence is coming into use and has already replaced people in many areas. It is impossible to do without information technologies these days.
In particular, the president mentioned the military sector where robots and unmanned aerial vehicles already fight on battlefields without human input. “And they are very dangerous. We are trying to modernize, remodel our army once again. And we use the experience of [Russia’s] special military operation [in Ukraine] among other things. It is impossible to do without IT industry,” he said.
The information technology industry develops along various avenues in Belarus. The head of state was the man behind the idea of setting up the Hi-Tech Park back in the day. He talked about the history of the park’s foundation and evaluations of the park’s creation by foreign partners. “Our competitors, adversaries are now trying to pressure us, to make us look bad,” he remarked.
Apart from the Hi-Tech Park information technologies also developed fast at enterprises. “Look at the defense industry, space industry, the Academy of Sciences. They have truly cutting-edge R&D products,” the head of state stressed.
“We now offer driverless BelAZ trucks. They work all over the world,” Aleksandr Lukashenko continued. He pointed out that IT professionals just like the person, who asked the question, take care of R&D work.
“Our IT sector is also very well-developed in the companies that make various goods,” the president remarked. “It may seem that a company that bakes bread needs soul and hands but information technologies come in handy.”
The same applies to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry: “We have already created dairy complexes where only robots are used instead of milk maids. These technologies powered by IT sector have already penetrated all the industries. We have an unmanned tractor already. And piloted tractors. They work well thanks to GPS navigation.”
“They are penetrating everything. But it is impossible to replace a human being, particularly in close contact with nature. Information technologies are necessary. But I don’t think it is possible to replace people in this sphere. Whatever a machine may be, it cannot replicate human feelings and qualities,” the Belarusian leader added.
The president stressed that all the innovations relating to artificial intelligence, neural networks drastically change the society. “Difficult times are ahead of us because of it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. He pointed out the abundance of fake news and the need to teach young people how to find their bearings in the information flow.
“It is possible to put any venom in someone’s mouth. I mean this thing heavily affects the world and mutual relations between people. We have to be very careful in this regard. We cannot avoid it,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said he believes that it is a very important sphere that borders on the military one: “And we have to work there.”
“We are going to advance slowly in this regard. But let’s not forget that even your generation will live through the period where it will be impossible to replace human beings. Particularly in agriculture. But we will use information technologies where we have to,” he concluded.
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