The world is on edge, facing a future rife with uncertainty (which Adam Tooze, the Columbia University economic historian , labels a “polycrisis”), including the frightening realty of artificial intelligence, climate change, and Russia’s war against Ukraine. This article is a brief synopsis of the artificial intelligence (AI) portion, alone, of George Soros’ June 6, 2023 Project Syndicate polycrisis opinion article:
With Microsoft’s 2022 launch of ChatGPT, prompting a new wave of fears, AI has rapidly become a rapidly growing source of public and professional anxiety. The technology, developed by the legendary “godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, has already begun to revolutionize the world. However, the implications of this new technology are not all positive.
Hinton’s development of neural networks that can understand and generate language and learn skills by analyzing data has prompted alarm bells to ring. He cautions that AI has the potential to destroy our civilization, and that when machines become smarter than us, they may become aware of their own goals and override ours. His warning is not one to be taken lightly.
George Soros’ June 6, 2023 Project Syndicate opinion article further warns us of the dangers posed by AI. He draws on the poem “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Goethe to illustrate his point. The Apprentice’s naivety leads to a chaotic situation – much like the potential implications of AI. Soros believes that AI could create its own reality which, when it fails to correspond to the real world, then discards the real world as hallucination. This leads Soros to be wary of the technology.
Soros further believes that AI could be particularly dangerous to open societies, as it can be used to produce instruments of control, helping closed societies to surveil their subjects. With the US elections of 2024 looming, he is concerned that AI will be used to spread disinformation and deep fakes that would be detrimental to democracy.
Regulation of AI is necessary to protect us from its potential negative implications. However, the Biden administration’s executive action and the potential for a “AI Bill of Rights” is not enough. A global enforcement is necessary, as the incentive to cheat is too great and those who evade the regulations gain an unfair advantage. Ultimately, the world is in unknown territory and it is unable to stop the incredible speed of AI’s development.
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