Letter to the Editor: The existential threat of artificial intelligence

Editor's note: The opinions in this article belong only to the person who wrote it. They do not represent the views of the Daily Journal.

To the editor:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing very quickly, without enough rules or limits. The danger is no longer just something we imagine might happen in the future. It is a serious threat right now that could put humanity's future at risk. AI could cause major problems for our economy, our democratic governments, and even our understanding of what it means to be human.

First, AI will replace workers on a scale we have never seen before. In past industrial revolutions, machines took over physical jobs, but new jobs that required thinking were created. AI is different because it can take over jobs that require thinking, too. Millions of office and creative jobs are being replaced or removed. These include jobs done by writers, computer programmers, financial analysts, and office workers.

But there is an even bigger problem than the social and economic trouble AI could cause: whether humans will be able to control it. We are training AI systems that work like closed boxes. We can see what they do, but we do not fully understand how they make their decisions.

We must stop acting as though AI development is something that will happen no matter what, like a force of nature. People created AI, and people must put strong rules in place to control it right away.

If we do not stop this dangerous race to become the most powerful in technology and create strict safety rules that countries around the world must follow, we could end up living in a world where humans no longer control their own future.

Ron Sadler

Franklin