IA: Savior or destroyer of humanity? Exploring the current technology debate

Year 2029.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
16 January 2024 Tuesday 22:00
6 Reads
IA: Savior or destroyer of humanity? Exploring the current technology debate

Year 2029. The Earth is devastated and is just a lifeless wasteland governed by an iron fist as massive as it is insurmountable: that of the machines. Humans have been reduced to simple slaves or directly exterminated by an artificial superintelligence that was initially developed by people but which, upon becoming conscious, decided to rebel.

Indeed, it is the plot of Terminator, one of the most popular, shocking and back in fashion works of fiction that have remained for posterity. Skynet, the artificial intelligence that one day decided to put an end to the human race has always sounded like a product of James Cameron's magnificent imagination, has gone from being an eighties fantasy to a possible uncomfortable reality.

At least that is what some experts and, in some ways, one of the most important companies that develops artificial intelligence technology considers it: OpenAI. The pioneers in AI have recently prepared a report consisting of 27 pages, in which the company that created ChatGPT has included the potential threats that may arise from its products.

The study includes cybersecurity risks and much more serious dangers, such as the possibility that its robots could be used to create nuclear or biological weapons.

OpenaAI itself speaks of “a robust approach to security against catastrophic AI risks requires proactive, science-based determinations of when and how it is safe to proceed with development and deployment.”

For this reason, they have created a system to measure and record the dangerousness of their models in a series of risk categories, among which cybersecurity stands out; chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological (CBRN) threats; persuasion; and the autonomy of the models, each of them being valued by a low, medium, high or critical danger.

Additionally, OpenAI is launching a new team of experts dedicated exclusively to preventing a potential robot uprising while ensuring its products are deployed responsibly.

Experts such as Geoffrey Hinton, cognitive and computer psychologist, considered one of the world gurus of artificial intelligence, made it clear a few months ago: “We must clearly worry about mitigating all the negative aspects [of AI] and the existential threat it poses.” ”, he stated in a conference.

In this sense, Hinton and other specialists warn of the danger that leaving the control of basic resources and supplies in the hands of artificial intelligence in the future could pose to humanity, from the administration of electrical energy, the distribution of water or the management of fuels.

But what draws the most attention in the near future will be the military application that AI may have. Although it sounds like Terminator's Skynet, the software and big data company Palantir is already working to cooperate with the United States military with artificial intelligence tools, launching the so-called Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP).

This system has capabilities such as offering assistance to a soldier through a ChatGPT-type digital assistant to deploy reconnaissance drones, devise tactical responses to perceived aggression, and even organize jamming of enemy communications.

Its simulation capabilities allow calculating the composition and capabilities of the enemy by launching a Reaper drone on a reconnaissance mission in response to the operator's request to obtain better images, and suggesting appropriate responses to the discovery of an armored vehicle.

For its part, Palantir has already assured that ultimately a human will always have the ability to deactivate this military artificial intelligence system. Regulations, professionals trained in it, and states' use of AI in the coming years will dictate whether this technology is capable of dominating all of humanity or if it is just another human tool for progress.

The PDD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides you with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead and direct business projects based on artificial intelligence.

With the Master of Lifelong Training in Artificial Intelligence, taught by the recognized and prestigious OBS Business School, you acquire all the knowledge and skills to create artificial intelligence applications in both industrial and service companies, getting the most out of this technology in the business.

Thanks to the Master's Degree in Artificial Intelligence, you will learn about the different applications of artificial intelligence in industry and business for process automation, fraud detection, risk estimation, text translation, medical diagnoses, among other things.