Daily Newsletter | 0711 - 5 ways AI can destroy the world

Background

One Australian MP claimed that the rise of AI coincided with the decline of education. This is a cause for concern, with risk analysts putting artificial intelligence (AGI) in the global spotlight.

Julian Hill reportedly said in a speech to the Australian Parliament: "If you start thinking, it quickly realizes that the devastating and catastrophic risks posed by undomesticated AGI are real, credible and easy to imagine. AGI has the potential to revolutionize our world in ways we can't imagine, but if AGI surpasses human intelligence, it could cause significant harm to humanity if its goals and motivations are inconsistent with our own. ”

Body reading

Five ways AI might destroy the world

5 ways AI could destroy the world

“If we become the less intelligent species, we should expect to be wiped out.” It has happened many times before that species were wiped out by others that were smarter. We humans have already wiped out a significant fraction of all the species on Earth. That is what you should expect to happen as a less intelligent species – which is what we are likely to become, given the rate of progress of artificial intelligence. The tricky thing is, the species that is going to be wiped out often has no idea why or how.

"If we become a species with lower intelligence, we should be prepared to be eliminated." Many species have been eliminated by smarter species, which has happened many times before. Humans have wiped out most species on Earth. As a less intelligent species, this is the future you may face – and that's exactly what happens to the speed of progress in AI. The tricky part is that species that are about to be phased out often don't know why and how they went extinct.

Take, for example, the west African black rhinoceros, one recent species that we drove to extinction. If you had asked them: “What’s the scenario in which humans are going to drive your species extinct?” what would they think? They would never have guessed that some people thought their sex life would improve if they ate ground-up rhino horn, even though this was debunked in medical literature. So, any scenario has to come with the caveat that, most likely, all the scenarios we can imagine are going to be wrong.

Take the West African black rhinoceros, a species that has recently been wiped out by humans. If you ask them, "Under what circumstances would humans take your species to extinction?" "What would they think? It would never occur to them that some people think that eating rhino horn powder can improve their sex life, although this has been proven wrong in the medical literature. Therefore, any situation must come with a caveat, and that is (most likely) that everything we can imagine is likely to be wrong.

We have some clues, though. For example, in many cases, we have wiped out species just because we wanted resources. We chopped down rainforests because we wanted palm oil; our goals didn’t align with the other species, but because we were smarter they couldn’t stop us. That could easily happen to us. If you have machines that control the planet, and they are interested in doing a lot of computation and they want to scale up their computing infrastructure, it’s natural that they would want to use our land for that. If we protest too much, then we become a pest and a nuisance to them.

We have some clues, though. For example, in many cases, we go extinct simply because we want resources. We cut down the rainforest because we need palm oil; Our goals are not aligned with other species, but because we are smarter, they can't stop us. This can easily happen to us. If you have machines that control the planet and they're interested in doing a lot of computing and they want to expand their computing infrastructure, naturally, they'll want to use our land. If we protest too much, then we become their pests and troublemakers (nasty things).

Word of the day

• destroy/dɪˈstrɔɪ/ vt. destruction, destruction; killing, humane destruction (injured, sick or dangerous animals);
• intelligent/ɪnˈtelɪdʒənt/ adj. intelligent; intellectual; Intelligent;
• species /ˈspiːʃiːz/n. (of plants and animals), species; Class; a category of persons (with the same characteristics);
• wipe out completely destroyed; Exterminate;
• a significant fraction;
• rate of progress The rate of progress;
• tricky/ˈtrɪki/ adj. Tough to deal with, tricky; cunning, tricky;
• rhinoceros/raɪˈnɑːsərəs/n. rhinoceros, rhinoceros (inhabiting Africa and Asia);
• extinction/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃ(ə)n/n. extinction, extinction; Satisfaction (of debts); extinction;
• scenario/səˈnærioʊ/ n. Scenario, what might happen; plot synopsis (of films, dramas, etc.); scenes (in works of art or literature);
• ground-up/ɡraʊnd ʌp/ adj. crushed; ground into powder;
• rhino horn;
• debunk/diːˈbʌŋk/ vt. Debunk... The truth, proves... is wrong;
• caveat/ˈkæviæt/ n. <正式>warnings, restrictive terms; <法律>Advance notice registration (especially in probate, a notice that an act may not be performed without informing the person);
• clue/kluː/ n. clue, hint; Understanding, ideas;
• chop down chop down; Cut down;
• rainforest /ˈreɪnfɔːrɪst/ n. (tropical) rainforest;
• palm oil;
• align with with... Consistent, consistent with... Be consistent;
• scale up to scale; Zoom in; Increase proportionally;
• computing infrastructure;
• pests/pests/n. pests, pests;
• nuisance /ˈnuːs(ə)ns/ n. trouble, annoying person (or thing, situation); damage, obstruction;

Source of material

Text from: The Guardian

Written by Steve Rose

Originally published: 7 Jul. 2023

Kind sentences of the day

Time heals all wounds.

Time will dilute all pain.