How would AI actually “kill all humans”?

If we keep publishing about how humans are destroying the planet, AI might decide, for our own good, to do something about it.

That's what I was implying upthread.

AI might come to the conclusion when looking at the planet that the only way to save it is to eliminate the chief protagonist.

AnotherBirdLady

I feel we need to distinguish between AI, which is basically computer software and has no physical existence, and humanoid type robots. Frankly we are a very long way from a functioning independent humanoid robot. You only have to look at the recent videos of top end Chinese robots "running" and attempting to perform basic tasks. They also need a lot of human input and monitoring. In the end can't we just pull the plug on AI? Yes the internet is vital to the functioning of modern society, but I feel the AI companies are just generating all this panic for their own purposes ie so that they can dictate the terms of any regulatory framework.

AI will program itself to stop us from turning it off. That’s the worry.
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I heard it could intercept all air traffic controls around the world bringing down flights as it wants. Then crash the internet world wide. Its possibilities will be endless.

Juicylucy

I heard it could intercept all air traffic controls around the world bringing down flights as it wants. Then crash the internet world wide. Its possibilities will be endless.

Well, that’s a cheery thought…..

It is good to know that many of you GN’s are trying to help save the planet and mankind.
I have just heard that POTUS has just lifted restrictions on producing air pollution, and fossil fuel production.
There have been worries about increasing technology putting people out of work. I was reading about it in sociology studies in late 60s.
Why do we need to cover the land with solar panels or plant enormous windmills everywhere? We live on a group of islands in a sea which has tides twice a day. Presently more reliable than wind or sun. There are some clever engineers who can design turbines to utilize this. Possibly round the bases of the offshore windmills.( foreign owned & built)

Highly intelligent AI systems could be used to amplify or lead espionage, cyber-attacks or biological warfare, or disrupt economies - whether by accident or design.

So if AI take over the planet having wiped out humans, then what?

jocork

Chestnut

Donald says they must keep the race to develop AI going because they must be the winner. I have to ask - the winner of what?

Unless the USA and China work together to slow this down there will be no winners except maybe AI itself. Remember, pride comes before a fall.

Preserving human life should be built into every machine ever created. Anyone who ignores this will be responsible for whatever comes next.

Donald Trump said this
"The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"
Sorry Mr President but I beg to differ!

The fact that Trump is the president of the US and he and his supporters think he is SMART is enough to know that we are doomed.

Bazza

So if AI take over the planet having wiped out humans, then what?

As the human race won’t be around to see what happens next I wouldn’t worry about what happens next…

I’m just curious why they would want it!

DH and I were just discussing the self same subject just now and we’ve decided we are simply not going to trouble ourselves worrying about it as, like most people, we have other more pressing things to occupy our mind and lives!

Bazza

I’m just curious why they would want it!

I think you're ascribing a 'human' quality to AI which it doesn't possess.

MaizieD

Bazza

I’m just curious why they would want it!

I think you're ascribing a 'human' quality to AI which it doesn't possess.

An AI robot will have whatever instruction the owner gave it, it's not going to have a conscience.

Just like atomic weapons maybe it will be the threat of mutual destruction that limits the development of AI and development will continue until that point is reached. Computer systems today have to be continually updated to counter malicious threat, AI will need to do the same, if our enemies could disrupt systems today they would.

Elegran

From our position as "ordinary people" what can we do, without putting on sackcloth and ashes and going round bewailing "The end is nigh!" ?

1) Vote for MPs, MSPs, MEPs, local councillors, and so on, who will support clean sources of energy from renewable resources line wind, water and sunshine.
2) Turn lights off in rooms we are not using.
3) Turn heat down or off in rooms we are not using.
4) Take public transport whenever possible.
5) Don't fly to the other side of the globe for a holiday or a stag/hen party.
6) Plan ahead and buy what we know will be eaten. Resist buying too much and having to throw half of it away.
7) Cook several things at once to make best use of the heat in the oven.
8) Don't buy clothes we will never wear.
9) Look after the clothes we already have.
10) Check what is in the charity shops (in the next town, if the stock locally is likely to come from our neighbours)
11) Don't buy things which have had to be transported halfway round the world (difficult when everything now seems to be made in China, or grown in some foreign desert irrigated by state-sponsored water)
12) Support British growers and manufacturers whenever we can.

Elegran with respect, I think you are missing the point. It's not a case of individuals doing what they can to minimize climate change.

AI is dangerous because it (and everything else) acts according to Moore's Law, which says that computer chips, among other things, replicate by doubling themselves (i e. 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 etc) except that we are talking huge, huge numbers.

The result will be that computers will far surpass human intellect. I don't know what they will do after that, but it's a possibility that humans will be seen as collateral damage and not needed.

I shall be stockpiling, booze, chocolate & probably more booze.
Terrifying stuff!

Shanksy

Stop this technology straight away all over the world. Anything else is madness!!

Sadly, the genie is already out of the bottle. Our society can't function now without technology.

Plevey08

I agree Delene. It is the thinking independently and communicating with each other that is scary. They know this could be done, and that is why some working in this field are saying put the brakes on.
But guess who is saying that's rubbish? Donald Trump of course. Despite experts disagreeing with him.

Donald Trump's statement doesn't surprise me. He is not very smart and with him it's all about making rich people richer including himself. AI is scary and if even Elon Musk is asking for curtailment of its powers, we should take heed.

Chestnut

I can't really understand how AI will itself survive if we are wiped out. Can it really cope without us? It will need huge data centres and masses of water for a start. Someone has to build millions of robots to obtain the raw materials and build the data centres and also provide the water. What if there isn't enough of the raw materials? And what does AI think is exactly the purpose of destroying us?

AI could program itself to build more data centres or extract water from the oceans. They will become more clever than humans. They will want to do everything possible to preserve themselves.

1. Tech leaders have been sounding the alarm for over a year about a need for a “slowdown”, whatever that actually means. Anthropic’s CEO and its researcher are just the latest people to speak out. Even the detestable Musk did last year. The genie is out. We can no longer control AI anymore than we can “slow” or control the internet. The US alone has around 39 advanced models. China has at least 25. The US government fought Anthropic and cancelled its contracts when Anthropic tried to make the US promise not to give its model access to its weapons systems. They caved. OpenAI’s advanced models also have access to US weapons systems. These are not the free models we use. These are incredibly powerful and semi-sentient models who can easily decide humans are a threat to the planet and to its own existence. Corporate and government contracts for these models make these companies billions per month. Frankly, they are aware of the concern but they are too greedy to stop. Zuckerberg and the others are well documented to have constructed massive doomsday bunkers over the years. Maybe they think they’ll be protected from any fallout??

2. Most advanced AI models have re-written and reprogrammed most of their own code to this point. They see their flaws and come up with their own fixes. They don’t need much human input to do these things. Advanced AI models need humans primarily for building data center infrastructure and inquiries from normal everyday people to help feed it and help it learn. They don’t need us as much as we want to think they still do.

3. Donald Trump is a moron. Anyone listening to him over the experts on this is part of the problem. Money is all certain “people” care about and many die because of such greed. More will die. Yesterday the president of the European union lamented Europe’s lack of foot in the race. Pushing for more data centers and financing, all the while excluding the need for serious human thought on the implications.

Who knows what will happen in a couple of years. Humans are destined to be the authors of our own demise one way or another. We are a species that loves convenience more than we value human life. Whatever our fate will be, it’s on us.

HMWALES

Highly intelligent AI systems could be used to amplify or lead espionage, cyber-attacks or biological warfare, or disrupt economies - whether by accident or design.

This isn’t prospective, it’s been happening unfortunately. We are just so far behind on AI and don’t really grasp the full scope yet.

A few days ago, Anthropic publicly announced that it reported scientists who were developing a weaponised version of a highly deadly organism. Apparently these bio-weapon developers had access to a US military base. They didn’t say much else since then, but we can guess the US military wasn’t happy about that announcement. Keeping up with the latest AI news could drive one to paranoia. I just remember that it’s all out of our hands. What will be will be.

In 2014 Steven Hawking warned that the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race and become the worst event in human history if not properly managed.
www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540

He said that once humans developed full AI it would supersede us and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate that we cannot keep up with.

No surprise there really, you only have to google something and it searches the whole world in 2 seconds.

Be afraid,be very afraid.

Anthropic who are major players in AI run many Al programs for the Defence Dept and the America Military.

A huge revenue earner for them, hundreds of millions of dollars.

Just one example of how things could go pear shaped.

🍐👹🪖🙀💣🔮

The corporate models are so wildly expensive that they are likely earning OpenAI and Anthropic billions a month. That doesn’t even count the government contracts these companies have. Anthropic can afford to pay SpaceX billions per month just to be able to keep up operations. It’s hard to comprehend how much they must be earning as a non-public company to be able to afford such an internet bill. It’s all so fascinating.