With everyone being fascinated by the capabilities of AI and what it can offer, it's easy to overlook the potential risks and threats it may bring to humanity. However, tech experts like Geoffrey Hinton remain vigilant over the negative effects that artificial intelligence may bring.
Bad AI vs Good AI
As reported before, Geoffrey Hinton, also referred to as the "Godfather of AI" has quit Google amidst the fast-paced growth of AI. He did so to be able to criticize the technology and inform people of the potential disasters it may lead to.
In a Collision conference in Toronto, Hinton further explained his concerns about how the good variant of AI might not be able to keep bad AI in check. He pointed out that AI technology is only as good as the people who developed them, as mentioned in Engadget.
For instance, the military industry might end up creating battle robots, as they would prefer machines as casualties over human beings. He also warned that the ruling class might just exploit the technology to add to their wealth, which would make the "rich richer and the poor poorer."
An idea that is far-fetched, where AI would start governing over humans has been brought up by the AI pioneer, saying that if AI becomes smarter than humans, people might not remain in charge. He added that we'd be in trouble if AI thinks that taking control was a necessary move.
With humanity's record of pulling out innovations only when it's on the brink of disaster, Hinton is concerned that society would only shut down potentially risky innovations once they get the chance to see how bad they can get, which might be too late by then.
Even now, AI is already showing signs of worry, such as bias and discrimination. As for AIs taking over human roles, the University of Toronto professor believes that society will have to make broad changes to adapt to AI technology.
Despite all the skepticism, Hinton did express that the advancement of AI could still be a good thing, such as using it to fight climate change. He said that even with the risks, he still loves AI technology.
It's Not All Bad
There's a reason why people love artificial intelligence. It can do a lot of things that can make our lives easier in so many aspects. If applied correctly, AI can be widely used for the better, and there is already proof of that
For example, AI can be used to detect environmental problems we could be facing through climate modeling, pollution tracking, wildlife conservation, and natural disaster prediction, as mentioned in Forbes.
AI has also been used by game developers wherein NPC can participate in an actual conversation with the players. Even before its fame, AI has been used by online retailers to curate recommendations based on your shopping history.
AI is not bad nor good, just like how a computer cannot be good or evil. As Hinton said, it depends on the people developing AI technology. With tech experts keeping watch, disastrous outcomes can be avoided.
