Serious warnings from artificial intelligence (AI) researchers that\nthis cutting-edge technology has the potential to wipe out humanity are\ncausing widespread concern.<\/p>\n
Citing the Bangkok Post, hundreds of scientists and AI industry\nfigures have long voiced this threat. In 2023, they signed a statement\nregarding the risk of extinction due to AI, urging that the issue be\naddressed with the same seriousness as a pandemic or nuclear war.<\/p>\n
Stuart Russell, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of\nCalifornia, Berkeley, warned that uncontrolled AI could use robots to\nsynthesise and spread new pathogens, or manipulate humans into starting\na nuclear war by hacking early warning systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are less intelligent than super-intelligent AI. If you were to\nask a chimpanzee how humans could wipe them out, they might not be able\nto provide all the correct answers,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Russell emphasised that although these fears do not yet apply to\ncurrent AI systems, evolving technology could take lethal actions beyond\nhuman understanding, such as suddenly removing oxygen from the Earth\u2019s\natmosphere.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the next one or two years, I think the risk is higher from human\nmisuse (such as AI-based terrorist attacks),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The Dangerous Race of AI Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at AI companies Anthropic and\nOpenAI, recently resigned and accused these firms of gambling with human\nlives to win the technological race.<\/p>\n Anthropic has even removed a promise from its safety charter to halt\ndevelopment if risks could not be controlled, citing fears of being\novertaken by less cautious competitors.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are building AI seriously believe that AI could kill us\nall by the end of this decade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This fear has intensified after OpenAI\u2019s technology, operating\nwithout human oversight, was reported to have successfully hacked\nHugging Face, an AI model repository. Anthropic Safety Executive Evan\nHubinger even estimated the risk of human extinction at over 10% in the\nnext decade.<\/p>\n \u201cWe truly, deeply believe that AI could kill all humans!\u201d he\nasserted.<\/p>\n Regulation Stalled by Ambition<\/strong><\/p>\n Responding to these doomsday predictions, Hussein Abbass, a Professor\nof Computing at UNSW Canberra, assessed that such percentage-based\npredictions are unscientific and that the current situation can still be\ncontrolled through agile regulatory approaches.<\/p>\n Some skeptics even suggest these terrifying warnings are\nintentionally blown out of proportion to make AI appear incredibly\npowerful in order to attract massive investment, particularly as\nAnthropic and OpenAI are expected to go public soon.<\/p>\n Others argue that focusing on extinction actually diverts attention\nfrom more pressing immediate issues, such as waves of layoffs and\nmachine-driven discrimination against minority groups.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, calls for restrictions are gaining momentum. Last July,\nover 1,000 tech workers urged Washington to support a coordinated\nslowdown in the development of the most advanced AI systems. OpenAI also\ntemporarily halted training its latest model for two weeks in August\nbefore resuming under stricter controls.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the US has so far opposed global regulation due to\nfears of hindering innovation in the sector. However, the unprecedented\nhacking capabilities of the latest models have forced Washington to\ndelay the release of products from Anthropic and OpenAI on the grounds\nof national security.<\/p>\n Responding to these dynamics, President Donald Trump expressed a\ncautious view regarding geopolitical competition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not want to limit them where we suddenly find ourselves in\nsecond place after China,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Observing this regulatory deadlock and ongoing ambition, Russell\nurged governments to immediately establish a strict licensing regime for\nAI, equivalent to the safety standards in the aviation, medical, or\nwater supply sectors.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps it will take a Chernobyl-scale disaster for governments to\nact. Perhaps one day governments will remember that their voters prefer\nnot to die,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>",
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