By Greg Mellen
Photo by Matheus Bertelli
The launch of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 have become all the rage in the tech world for their potential to change the worlds of education and work, write reports and term papers, and transform “human relations” in the corporate world. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is not all positive, and the underside can become dark very fast.
Ever since the term was coined in the 1950s, AI has charted an accelerating path, integrating itself into the lives of technology users. Today we have smart homes that regulate our environment, GPS programs that guide us to our destinations and track where we go, and chatbots handling customer service.
Given the increasing interaction between humans and their artificial counterparts, it is little wonder that even those at the top of the technology field express concern about the effects of AI on our lives.
In January 2015, the late Stephen Hawking and other technology and artificial intelligence experts wrote an open letter extolling the benefits of AI and warning about potential catastrophic consequences.
The Center for Humane Technology in April 2023 shared in The AI Dilemma that half of AI researchers believe there’s a 10 percent or greater chance that humans go extinct from our inability to control AI.