SENTIENT MACHINES: Don't Watch This If You're Afraid of AI ROBOTS (Disturbing Truth)

SENTIENT MACHINES: Don't Watch This If You're Afraid of AI ROBOTS (Disturbing Truth)

In 1938, the common man's condition in the Soviet Union, Germany, or the United States may have been grim, but he was constantly told that he was the most important thing in the world and that he was the future. He looked at the propaganda posters and saw himself there: "I am in that poster. I am the hero of the future." In 2024, the common person feels increasingly irrelevant. In the 20th century, the masses revolted against exploitation, and now, in 2024, the people fear irrelevance.

Fears of machines pushing people out of the job market are, of course, nothing new, and in the past, such fears proved to be unfounded. But artificial intelligence (AI) is different. In the past, machines competed with humans mainly in manual skills. Now, they are beginning to compete with us in cognitive skills, and we don't know of any third kind of skill beyond the manual and the cognitive in which humans will always have an edge.

At least for a few more decades, human intelligence is likely to far exceed computer intelligence in numerous fields. Hence, as computers take over more routine cognitive jobs, new creative jobs for humans will continue to appear. Many of these new jobs will depend on cooperation rather than competition between humans and AI. Human-AI teams will likely prove superior not just to humans but also to computers working on their own.

How AI is Changing Human Life

Humans are used to thinking about life as a drama of decision-making. Works of art, be they Shakespeare plays, Jane Austen novels, or cheesy Hollywood comedies, usually revolve around the hero making a crucial decision. Christian and Muslim theology similarly focuses on the drama of decision-making, arguing that everlasting salvation depends on making the right choice.

What will happen to this view of life as we rely on AI to make ever more decisions for us? Even now, we trust Netflix to recommend movies and Spotify to pick music we'll like. But why should AI's helpfulness stop there? Every year, millions of college students need to decide what to study, a very important and difficult decision. It's influenced by students' own fears and fantasies, which are themselves shaped by movies, novels, and advertising campaigns.

Therefore, it's not hard to see how AI could one day make better decisions than we do about careers and perhaps even relationships. But once we begin to count on AI to decide what to study, where to work, and whom to date or even marry, human life will cease to be a drama of decision-making, and our conception of life will need to change. Democratic elections and free markets might cease to make sense, and so might most religions and works of art.

The Evolution of AI

The human brain is the most complex and capable thinking system. Starting in the 1940s, researchers began toying with a tantalizing idea: designing computer systems through an approach similar to how the human brain works. Our minds are made up of neurons, which send signals to other neurons through connective synapses. Together, all those neurons and connections encode our memories, instincts, judgments, and skills.

In 1958, Frank Rosenblatt pulled off a proof of concept— a simple model based on a simplified brain which he trained to recognize patterns. However, computers weren't powerful enough at the time, and data wasn't abundant enough to make the approach viable. It wasn't until the 2010s that this approach could work on real problems. By then, computers were as much as 1 trillion times more powerful than they were in Rosenblatt's day.

Now, AI systems can be genuinely scary to interact with. They're clever and argumentative, they can be friendly, and they can be bone-chillingly sociopathic. AI is dangerous precisely because the day could come when it's no longer in our control at all. This is quite literally the stuff of science fiction. How do we get from extremely powerful AI systems to human extinction?

AI as a Tool and a Threat

Steven Hawking had thoughts on AI: "You're probably not an evil ant hater who steps on ants out of malice, but if you're in charge of a hydroelectric green energy project and there's an anthill in the region to be flooded, too bad for the ants." Let's not place humanity in the position of those ants.

Demis Hassabis, in an interview, talked about this and looked pretty cautious. He said, "I think a lot of times, especially in Silicon Valley, there's this sort of hacker mentality of like we'll just hack it and put it out there and then see what happens." Nearly half of the smartest people working on AI believe there is a one in 10 chance or greater that their life's work could end up contributing to the annihilation of humanity.

Progress in AI has happened extraordinarily fast, leaving regulators behind the ball. The regulation that might be most helpful would be incredibly unpopular with big tech, and it's not clear what the best regulations short of that are. Many in Washington are also worried that slowing down US AI progress could enable China to get there first. China is certainly pursuing powerful AI systems and its leadership is actively engaged in human rights abuses.

There was a CEO summit at Yale University, where 42% of the CEOs shockingly went against AI progress and said that AI could spell the end of humanity within the next decade. These aren't the leaders of small businesses; this is 119 CEOs from top companies, including Walmart, Coca-Cola, Tesla, Xerox, and Zoom.

AI in Warfare and Society

Consider autonomous weapons, for example. These are AI systems designed to kill without human intervention. In 2021, a military drone used in Libya's civil war was unmanned and autonomous. Recently, AI targeting systems played a key role in identifying tens of thousands of targets in Gaza, showing that autonomous warfare is already here.

AI represents a paradox. On one hand, it promises unprecedented progress and could solve some of our most pressing problems like poverty and diseases. On the other hand, AI poses a peril like no other. It could lead to mass unemployment, social unrest, and even global conflict and in the worst case, human extinction.

The Ethical Implications and Future Risks

In 2018, Amazon had to scrap an AI recruiting software for being biased against women. AI learned by studying the resumes of already hired employees. Because Amazon had been hiring more men, their recruiting algorithm learned to favor male candidates.

AI can now generate real-time deep fakes, making it almost impossible to tell the difference between what's real or fake. This could be used to swing elections and manipulate public opinion.

When 47 US states endorsed a declaration on the responsible use of AI in the military, it was because irresponsible use is a real and terrifying prospect. AI can recognize patterns, self-learn, make predictions, and generate recommendations in military contexts.

The AI Arms Race

Several leading scientists and technologists have warned against killer robots, including Steven Hawking and Elon Musk. In Ukraine, Russia allegedly deployed a drone that could recognize and attack targets without human intervention. Australia developed Ghost Shark, an autonomous submarine system.

China's investment in AI has skyrocketed, committing billions in various sectors like healthcare, finance, and autonomous systems. This global race to deploy AI in military applications is concerning.

The Future: Purpose and Dependency

AI will remove our purpose because it will do almost everything better than us at some point. It will take most jobs away from humans. Even if new jobs are created, they will be highly specialized and mechanical.

AI's advance into everyday life will further mean that we won't need other human beings, breaking the organic bonds that form through human interactions. Friendships and love will diminish as AI satisfies almost every need.

The Superintelligent AI Threat

Once AI can improve itself, we have no way of knowing how to control it. Superintelligent AI could be able to make high-quality decisions and control its environment, potentially leading to human extinction. Any defenses built into these AI gods will be undone like Gulliver throwing off the tiny strands.

Conclusion

Humans are known for adaptability and stoicism. However, the tech takeover is such a massive appropriation of our social, political, and cultural life that stoic acceptance may not suffice. By 2025, it's quite possible we'll see the beginning of "robot wars" as humanity begins to push back against the tech takeover.

To sum up, AI poses immense promise and peril. We need to harness its power while avoiding its pitfalls to ensure AI serves us, not the other way around.

Keywords

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Human Irrelevance
• Cognitive Skills
• AI Decision-Making
• Autonomous Weapons
• Deep Fakes
• AI in Warfare
• Superintelligent AI
• Ethical Implications
• Human Extinction

FAQ

Q: What distinguishes AI from past technological advancements?

A: Unlike previous machines that competed with humans mainly in manual skills, AI competes in cognitive skills and could eventually surpass human intelligence in many fields.

Q: Can AI replace human decision-making completely?

A: As AI becomes more advanced, it might make better decisions in many areas such as careers and relationships, which could lead to humans relying increasingly on AI, thereby changing our perception of life and decision-making.

Q: What are the immediate dangers of AI?

A: Immediate dangers include job displacement, biases within AI systems, and the use of AI in warfare, which could lead to unintended civilian casualties and escalate conflicts.

Q: How might AI affect human relationships?

A: AI could reduce the need for human interaction by satisfying most of our needs, which would weaken human bonds and friendships that are built through mutual need and cooperation.

Q: What are "killer robots," and why are they a concern?

A: Killer robots are autonomous weapons systems capable of making decisions without human intervention. They pose a significant threat as they might act unpredictably or be used irresponsibly in warfare.

Q: What is the concept of superintelligent AI?

A: Superintelligent AI refers to AI systems that surpass human intelligence and can improve themselves. Such AI could become uncontrollable and potentially lead to human extinction.

Q: How does AI impact job markets and human purpose?

A: AI could take over many jobs, causing mass unemployment and making people feel purposeless. Even hobbies and creative pursuits could be overshadowed by AI's superior capabilities.

Q: What measures can be taken to regulate AI?

A: Effective regulation would require global cooperation to ensure AI's responsible development and deployment. This includes ethical standards and safeguards against misuse in both civilian and military contexts.