How to overcome the natural human fear of artificial intelligence? Read On!
In his Washington Post opinion piece of July 21, 2021, ‘The AI we should fear is already here’, Daron Acemoglu contends that “We should indeed be afraid — not of what AI might become, but of what it is now.”
So where does this fear come from? And is it real?
Many people in the technology industry believe that artificial intelligence is one of the most transformative technologies we have ever seen. Its potential to change and improve our lives is huge. However, at the same time, this transformative power also poses a risk. If AI is used for bad reasons, it could have devastating consequences. For example, it could be used to hack into systems or to create fake news.
Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have both voiced concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. They worry that as AI becomes more advanced, people will be unable to compete with it and that it could lead to the end of humanity. To address these concerns, Musk has donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute.
And then there is the Bostrom center, an organization that says it is “working to mitigate existential risks facing humanity,” the ones that could arise “from the development of human-level artificial intelligence.”
People have always been anxious about new technology; from the wheel to machines, from computers to the internet and now AI. So, is AI something we should be afraid of? The fears of AI seem to stem from common causes: anxiety about machine intelligence, the fear of unemployment, suspicions about super-intelligence, AI getting into the hands of evil, and of course the initial hesitancy that accompanies new technology. But while these are valid concerns, should they overshadow the great potential that AI has to improve our lives?
This report gives an insight into the cultural and psychological factors of this fear and reveals the current state of the debate of superintelligence. It provides a glimpse into and advice on how businesses that understand these factors will be successful in their AI endeavors.