AI’s dark side: Could it really end humanity?
Here’s what the experts say: Could AI kill us all?
Artificial intelligence is becoming an integral part of our lives but as AI gets smarter some people worry about a serious question: could AI ever become dangerous enough to kill us all?
Stern warnings from artificial intelligence researchers that advanced forms of technology could eradicate the human race have generated scrutiny over whether governments are moving fast enough to regulate it.
According to AI experts, the threat is critical as in 2023, hundreds of AI scientists and industry figures including the heads of US labs signed a statement on AI extinction risk, calling for the issue to be elevated to the same level of urgency as pandemics or nuclear war.
Stuart Russell, computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley said that if an out-of-control future AI perceived obstruction to its goals, it could use robots to synthesize and spread novel pathogens.
However, such existential fears do not concern current AI bots, but as the technology improves it could develop unprecedented lethal capabilities beyond our understanding such as removing oxygen from the atmosphere.
In this connection, Russell said: “ We are less intelligent than super intelligent AI. If you ask chimpanzees how humans could wipe them out, they probably wouldn't be able to give you all the right answers."
In the meantime, "in the next year or two I think the risk is higher from human misuse.”
It further argued that if it independently suspended operations, its less cautious rivals would dominate the industry.
A computing professor at UNSW Canberra said: “ It is important to remember that doom-laden percentage predictions are absolutely unscientific.”
Abbass told AFP: “ The situation is still controllable and it can be managed.”
“Maybe it will take a massive, Chernobyl-scale disaster to get governments to act, urging them to establish a licensing regime for AI, as exists with aviation, medicine or water supply, Russell said.”
Nonetheless, the unmatched cyber-intrusion potential of the state of the art models has given Washington pause with recent Anthropic and OpenAI releases delayed over rising national security concerns.
