Artificial intelligence could help humanity reach unprecedented levels of development, but if anything goes wrong it would be due to human decisions rather than the technology itself, it was said on Monday at the EUonAIR AI Summit held at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.

The summit hosted two current Nobel laureates, along with leading global experts in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, economics, business and innovation.

Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr, a prominent economist and authority on technological change who has spent his career studying how innovation translates into economic growth, argued that no one knows what impact AI will ultimately have on society. He said he was confident it would accelerate scientific research, making it significantly more efficient and faster, and described himself as broadly optimistic about AI.

Asked whether AI would destroy or save humanity, Mokyr expressed the view that it would be more likely to save it, unless humanity misuses it. He noted that since August 1945 humans have possessed technologies capable of destroying civilisation, adding that any future catastrophe would more likely stem from nuclear risk than from AI.

He described AI as a tool that demonstrates how certain tasks can be performed better by machines than by humans, and said it could assist people in decision-making.

He also suggested that one of the major challenges in the next 20 years would be labour shortages, which AI could help offset by taking over tasks that fewer people are willing or able to do.

He added that technological progress had already significantly improved living standards, and predicted that future advances could lead to longer and healthier lives, as well as new medicines, energy sources and materials.

Another Nobel laureate, quantum computing pioneer John Martinis, who said he felt at home in Croatia due to his family roots on the island of Vis, also expressed optimism that AI would bring more benefits than harms.

He stressed the need for careful and thorough decision-making regarding its development and regulation, and said humanity was likely to manage its use responsibly to prevent misuse.

He added that AI would become increasingly present in education and science, and that it would help expand human creativity through new tools.