Note from our Editor-in-Chief: In just the last week, several AI researchers and executives have expressed growing concerns that AI could kill all humans in the next decade. But should you be worried? Or, are the warnings overblown? Zeteo is publishing a pair of essays over the next two days from each side of this contentious issue.
The first, below, is from Nate Soares, an AI researcher and co-author of the New York Times’s bestselling book, ‘If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All,’ who argues the threat is real and we must heed the warning signs immediately. Tomorrow, look out for the other side from Paris Marx, a Canadian tech critic and host of the acclaimed ‘Tech Won’t Save Us’ podcast, who is skeptical about the end-of-humanity warnings.
As always, if you’re not already a paid subscriber, upgrade today to get full access to both of these essays and everything Zeteo offers! -Mehdi
My view on the AI race is that if anyone builds smarter-than-human AI using anything remotely like the current techniques, the most likely outcome is that everyone on Earth will die.
A slightly weaker version of this view — “at least a 10% chance of human extinction if we rush to build superintelligence” — has gone mainstream among AI researchers. Over the past week, AI company employees have quit their job or otherwise sounded the alarm that we may be on the brink of disaster.
If the leading AI companies are so worried, why not just stop? The companies’ answer: