/ world today news/ The head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament, Petar Vitanov, received the honorary title “Doctor honoris causa” of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts. The award was presented to him by the rector Prof. Miglena Temelkova at an official ceremony.
The title is awarded to Petar Vitanov for his contribution to the development of educational and scientific activities and for raising the image of the university in the European educational space, announced Prof. Temelkova. Over the past three years, Petar Vitanov has been helping to develop educational activities by participating in various initiatives of the higher school. The MEP has contributed to important international partnerships and has helped the recognition of the Higher School of Telecommunications and Posts on a national and international level, the academic management also reports.
People’s representatives, the Minister of Justice Krum Zarkov, regional governors, representatives of the local government, academic circles, etc. attended the ceremony of awarding the “Doctor Honoris Cause”.
Before the academic community, Vitanov gave a lecture on the problems and opportunities related to artificial intelligence.
“Artificial intelligence, which everyone is talking about today, is becoming such a powerful tool that it is starting to inspire fear. Not only because it might make our labor redundant, but also because we don’t know to what extent it will develop and whether it won’t change our lives in such a way that control slips out of our hands. The idea of a technological world in which machines rule over humans is a favorite theme of science fiction novels of the last century. In 2023, however, reality trumps science fiction. Today, our lives are so dependent on technology that we can hardly imagine it without them. In 2023, 64.4% percent of people in the world use the Internet and 59.4% are social network users. “A modern person spends more time in front of an electronic device than in sleep and unlocks his smartphone more than a hundred times a day,” said Vitanov.
“The benefits and advantages that technology provides in the field of communications, education, medicine, scientific activity, transport, production are undeniable. No one can deny that process automation, rapid speed, connectivity, and endless technological possibilities allow us to live easier, smarter, and focus our efforts on our important tasks,” he added.
Petar Vitanov also described the measures that legislators from the European Parliament are considering so that humans are not completely replaced by machines and our civil rights are not affected.
“Online crime, misuse of personal data, disinformation, propaganda and influencing public opinion are the other side of the coin. This is especially true for applications operating on the basis of artificial intelligence – the more they develop and the more widely they are used, the more the opportunities for abuse grow,” Vitanov added.
“At the end of March, The Future of Life Institute (FLY) published an open letter calling on artificial intelligence labs to suspend software development and experimentation for a period of 6 months. The letter was joined by celebrities, intellectuals and researchers, including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. They are calling on governments to step in and impose a moratorium if companies don’t agree to pause AI development. The six months should be used to develop safety protocols, AI management systems and redirect research towards providing more accurate, safe, “trustworthy and loyal” systems,” Vitanov added.
As an MEP dealing with the subject of artificial intelligence, Petar Vitanov hopes that European legislators will be able to shape the regulations so that they work in the interest of people and their rights, not machines and corporate profits.
“I believe that technological progress is only meaningful when it increases the welfare of society and improves the lives of all, rather than putting uncontrollable power in the hands of a few,” he concluded.
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