The incredible strides in the advancement of Artificial Intelligence have become a contentious but fascinating topic recently within the news media and some of the largest corporations in the world.
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pinchai made several unsettlingly ominous statements regarding the dangers of Artificial Intelligence whilst appearing on CBS 60 Minutes in April 2023. Anchorman Scott Pelley posed a question concerning the potential consequences of a.i.’s effect on the human race to which Pinchai replied, “The scale of the problem concerning disinformation and fake news would be much larger”, adding that, “it could cause immense harm.”
The more I researched the reactions from corporate executives and government officials, the more I saw that what truly stands out most is the extremely vague, yet somewhat apocalyptic statements about the possible threats of a.i’s technology. (info courtesy of cbsnews.com)
The field of A.I. was founded in 1956 at a summer workshop at Dartmouth College. The majority of attendees at this meeting would eventually become pioneers in the field of Artificial Intelligence for decades to come. (info courtesy of brittannica.com)
Similar fears and reservations existed during the early stages of Artificial Intelligence’s research as they do currently. Even without the immense amount of data and analysis, researchers predicted that a.i.’s effect on the human race may become extremely detrimental if not regulated properly. Economists have highlighted potentially damaging repercussions towards employment and the possibility of mass layoffs in certain fields where a.i.’s influence could be in abundance.
Being a Socialist and a blue-collar worker, I find these theories definitely alarming.
If what these experts predict ever comes to pass and widespread dismissals become a reality it could lead to not just protests and strikes.
It has always been my contention that the one aspect of life which could cause social order to break down would be the inability to feed one’s family. This subject of Artificial Intelligence is one more glaring example of the ethos that is ultra-Capitalism. Realistically could you really blame a CEO of a billion-dollar company for downsizing their entire human workforce in exchange for a robot that could perform the same tasks faster and more efficiently, taking into account the weekly paycheck and benefits no longer needed to pay a regular Human?
Before we get into the positive aspects of A.I’s growing influence on our world, I did want to explore the burgeoning Terminator theory that’s been circling the internet of late.
Published reports and editorials have ranged from the totally absurd to the strangely compelling. For instance, Fox News printed a “report” in April under the shockingly dubious headline ” Reports say AI Could Go Terminator, Gain Upper Hand Over Humans in Darwinian Rules of Evolution.”
Before we even attempt to actually read such an article, let’s quickly analyze this ridiculously sensationalized title. I’ve heard the Terminator scenario in accordance with the steady incline of A.I.’s technology numerous times, and how we’re all pretty much doomed to a future of ill-tempered robots, who will eventually steal everyone’s jobs while wreaking havoc on an unprepared, helpless human race. Since the piece is from Fox News and over the top speculation, I will simply digress.
Yahoo Finance published a much more realistic and literate editorial regarding the Terminator hogwash. According to Sandra Wachter, renowned expert in data ethics, A.I. and robotics, surmised that the likelihood of a “Terminator scenario” is pure fantasy, and simply a publicity stunt to attract funding. Since the title of this piece includes the phrase “Humanity’s Greatest Gift” we must present a case for the remarkable capabilities and life changing ramifications of a.i.’s amazing technological advancements.
The Chat GPT invention has the potential to revolutionize the world of creative ventures, with its ability to generate, edit, and iterate with users on written works including screenplays, song compositions and essays. A.I. programs such as this seemingly would have no nefarious reverberations at first glance, but still, the more you take into account the human element in the formulating of these Chat Bots, the more you can’t help but examine some of the negative prospects of this technology.
As we have learned over time, no matter how impressive the resumes and the ‘otherworldly’ intelligence these programmers may possess, it is impossible to ignore the natural human emotions that even the most educated or professional persons still carry with them.
There is always the threat of one of these scientists suffering a mental breakdown and using their position of extreme power and importance to unleash their fury on an unsuspecting public by installing cataclysmic abilities into the software. We’d all like to assume this scenario would never happen, but professions that carry heavy loads of pressure and expectation could result in highly unlikely and unwelcome outcomes. (info courtesy of openai.com).
I tend to speculate that all these exaggerated, improbable pros and cons of a.i.’s rising influence in today’s society will most certainly never come to pass. I’ve always been a stringent realist, so when it comes to outlandish prophesies of the Earth’s eventual demise, whether it being nuclear war, pandemic or in this case Artificial Intelligence morphing into the “existential threat” to mankind as quoted by Sundai Pinchar earlier in this piece I can’t help being cynical.
This particular subject piqued my interest in a very interesting manner.
Only a few months ago I had virtually zero knowledge, and was unaware of the hysteria caused by the news cycles reports of a.i.’s potential risks and rewards. I was just as unaware of the conspicuously vague comments put forth by some of the most powerful executives in the world.
Could the plot of the iconic and uber successful 1980’s blockbuster “The Terminator” actually happen in the not-too-distant future?
If that inexplicable event ever occurred, I doubt “we the people” would be able to persevere, I mean do you really possess that kind of faith in the mankind?
I certainly don’t!
Another great site by the Dangerous Globe
