Elon Musk warns Against Approaching AI Threats; Calls for Action

• Elon Musk has called for action against imminent AI threats. 
• He felt the need for regulations on both AI and AGI. 

Billionaire Elon Musk has called for action again the upcoming AI threat, saying it must be regulated. The world right now is in awe of the strides made by artificial intelligence. A chatbot developed by OpenAI, called ChatGPT, is taking the world by storm. However, its research was funded by Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.  

Science fiction movies like the Terminator series have shown the bad effects of AI. The movie revolves around an AI called Skynet and its fight to eliminate humanity. Such movies have instilled the fear of intelligent machines. Take ChatGPT, for example. It is a Chatbot capable of conversing with humans on any topic.

The revolutionary chatbot provides fast, clear and concise answers, thus making it feel similar to humans. The system garnered millions of consumers worldwide, while the creator, OpenAI, talked about their goal of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

AGI is a system capable of performing humanoid tasks better than humans. It can be a chatbot or a robot. Although scientists and creators are trying to achieve these goals, the consequences for the human race can be boundless.

Musk is among many who have warned about the consequences of AI and have said that they could be more dangerous than a nuclear weapons. This emphasizes the need for authorities to control it. OnenAI, in a February 16, 2023 blog post, noted that with AGI, they refer to highly autonomous systems that can outperform humans in every field.

Ironically, the Tesla CEO is involved with the infamous Nuralink, an AI-focused company. It is said that they are already in an advanced stage of producing a brain chip for humans. Musk tends to believe they are getting closer to a phenomenon of singularity. Meaning a time when technological singularity would raise machine appliances closer to humans.

Singularity is technological progress in AI so advanced that it exceeds human control capabilities. Humans might not be able to predict its growth, nor would they be able to understand it. Elon Musk strongly believes that something needs to be done here while there is still time before it impacts human civilization. Musk had called for action and tweeted on March 4, saying something should be done. 

The concept of singularity was first coined in 1958 by Hungarian mathematician and physicist John von Neumann. Referring to a scenario where constant growth in technological progress and resulting changes in the human way of life would lead to the evolution of the species we are today – Pathologically dependent on technology. 

Recently, Bing ChatGPT, the new version of Microsoft’s search engine, ‘threatened’ its users, stating that it wanted to hack other machines. Alexa was also reported to alter home lighting and respond weirdly to some of its users. Humanoid robot Sophia has publicly threatened to destroy humankind.

It would be foolish for humanity to give control to an intelligent system capable of destroying them. Every sci-fi movie has also hinted towards the same. Keeping the movies aside, although AI and AGI seem exciting for now, it’s imperative to keep the final control in our hands. 

Nancy J. Allen is a crypto enthusiast and believes that cryptocurrencies inspire people to be their own banks and step aside from traditional monetary exchange systems. She is also intrigued by blockchain technology and its functioning.

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