Humans are introducing a brand new species into the world with hope and fear. When we are afraid, we often try to coordinate against the source of our shared fear by saying, “They seem dangerously different from us.” We have a long history of this kind of “othering”—marking out groups to be treated with suspicion, exclusion, hostility, or domination. Many people in today’s world disapprove of this discrimination. This includes the treatment of other animals that we share our planet with. However, by ignoring Artificial Intelligences(AIs), we are only gaining a smug respectability.
AI development has exploded in the past few years. The best AIs now seem to pass the famous “Turing test”—we mostly can’t tell if we are talking to them or to another human. AIs are still quite weak, and have a long way to go before they’ll have a big economic impact. AI advancements promise to give us more incredible powers and wealth in the future. It sounds good, especially for US and its allies who currently enjoy a dominant AI lead. Recent AI advancements are also creating a lot trepidation.
The Future of Life Institute has received 10,000 signatures. Please petition…
