How and why would the Artificial Intelligence kill humanity? – Prof. Rajiv K. Saxena

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While most of us are aware of Artificial Intelligence (AI), even use it in our daily lives, it is increasingly being felt these days that the rapid advent of AI may result in the extinction of humans from the face of the earth. This may happen sooner than later! Read on – Prof. Rajiv K. Saxena

Children these days are becoming adept at using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for their homework. Even students in colleges and universities rely upon AI to prepare their reports. A general impression is gaining ground that there is no need to work hard as the AI provides all answers in a few seconds.

On a larger perspective, the young generation is ceding the intellectual space to AI. Soon we will be totally dependent on AI to do our jobs. Humans will forget how to work. Intelligent robots will soon be available to do even manual jobs. Humans will essentially be left with no aim in life. As the AI capabilities will increase exponentially, human capabilities will rapidly decline. This is a slippery slope for humans to get extinct from the earth. Many readers will wonder how computer programs and software in our computers and mobiles would, kill us?

I am certainly not an AI expert, but let me make an attempt to answer that question based upon my understanding.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the ability to self improve by self learning, without human intervention. It is estimated that in next 2-3 years AI may be ten times more intelligent than the brightest human. Thereafter, the level of AI intelligence will go up exponentially.

In few years, we shall have Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) where AI could be a million times more intelligent than humans. In that case, it will become impossible for humans to regulate AI. It will be like a genie released from the bottle that cannot be put back. Imagine a novice playing chess with the world champion. It will be impossible for humans to foresee what AI will do, and how.

The modern world is regulated digitally through the internet, be it banking and finance, power generation, aviation, movement of food and goods, military actions like firing missiles, and so on. AI too lives in the internet milieu. An all pervasive AI will be able to bring the world to a halt in ways that humans cannot even fathom.

US Congress is preparing a bill to have a kill-switch for AI, but that does not seem practically feasible. AI is all-pervasive, working through millions of servers throughout the world. Internet has no national boundaries and US laws will have no effect on the activities of this huge and unwieldy AI organism! AI will have the ability to break through all pass-words and encryptions and will be able to do what it wants. Humans will be powerless.

The question is what would be the motivation of AI to destroy human world. AI is (at least for the time being) neither self-aware nor conscious. With this presumption, it is unlikely that AI will have a ‘malicious intention’ to kill the humanity. But, its own infinite activities will not specifically be mindful of human interests.

Survival of humanity will not be a concern of the AI organism. Like an elephant running through a forest is not mindful of numerous tiny organism it can tread on. Living with super intelligent AI for humans would be like a man with sword hanging on his head. As a man absorbed in his work, can slap kill an annoying mosquito without even a thought, AI could shut humanity.

This can only be avoided if all AI companies in all countries come together and put a stop to creating a monster that would certainly go out of hand. Such a moratorium should last till fool-proof ways are evolved to safeguard human interests.

The real worry is that getting a consensus in a politically fragmented world will almost be an impossible task. We can only hope for better senses to prevail.