And if it ain't an agricultural calamity that is on the horizon, why not pick an AI threat that could make us the next dodo, if you believe the blurb.
One AI expert who teaches at the University of California reckons we have to be careful when it comes to AI, or AGI ( Artificial General Intelligence). Stuart Russell, author of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, thinks that the timeline towards the emergence of an AGI has shortened considerably. As we can see already with the iterations of ChatGPT which are being released - the large language model that underpins this is not regarded as an AGI - the uptick in activity and investment in AI has increased dramatically.
Stalker enjoys the cautionary exemplum of an AI wiping out humanity by accident. The AI program is instructed to maximise paper-clip production - it takes the job to its logical conclusion, which includes mining all of the iron on the planet, including the iron in human blood.
Yikes!
It all seems like the stuff of dystopian sci-fi nightmares, but if you’re standing near a computer control panel or a robotic mushroom picking arm or machine, you might start wondering what the machine is actually thinking about…?
