OPINION:
“Warning of AI doomsday ‘swarm’ sparks push to slam brakes on superhuman technology” (Web, Sept. 13) is unsettling, but it should not be surprising.
Imagine waking up to discover that the systems carrying our communications are no longer under human control. That possibility is at the heart of growing warnings about artificial intelligence “swarming” our networks and potentially taking them over — almost like invaders from outer space.
Here is what I don’t understand: When we began developing AI, didn’t we already understand that it could eventually become extraordinarily powerful and potentially get out of control? If we knew the possibilities, why didn’t we build safeguards into the technology from the very beginning?
We seem to have stepped on the accelerator instead. Knowing that China is competing with us in the AI arena, we have pushed forward at breathtaking speed. Competition has become the justification for moving faster, even when we know there are serious risks.
So what gives? Are we stupid? Greedy? Or simply ambivalent about what could happen?
I’m not opposed to AI. Its potential to improve medicine, science, communications and everyday life is enormous. But technological progress without corresponding responsibility is not necessarily progress.
At 82, I’ve lived through enough technological revolutions to know that just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should, especially without asking what comes next.
AI may be one of humanity’s greatest achievements. It could also become one of our greatest mistakes if we fail to control it before it controls us.
Rancho Mirage, California
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