Artificial intelligence, also called super intelligence, will neither save nor destroy the world. Just like every other technology before it, there will be limitations, benefits, surprises and problems.
AI does not create; it only optimizes based on the material from which it is trained. Accordingly, AI is limited to manipulating what happened in the past by making the connections faster, more granular and by finding additional inferences. It cannot predict with accuracy what never happened before. However, it will find efficiencies and generate ideas worthy of pursuit by people.
AI will have significant bias that comes from the material it was trained on. Humans advance because we have innate intuition, physical observations, serendipity/pseudo serendipity, real-life testing, and good fortune. AI cannot do these activities without human assistance.
In many ways, AI is like a tree. It cannot move but can send out seeds and roots to expand its reach. A tree needs inputs like energy from the sun, water, carbon dioxide and nutrients to survive. Likewise, AI needs electricity, in a controlled environment including temperature, moisture, magnetism, gases and corrosives.
AI will require maintenance, as nothing runs forever without needing fixing or adjustments.
AI cannot reproduce on its own without some human input.
All historical technology reaches asymptotic limits. As this occurs, either economics or better technology overtakes. After a while we could not make better light bulbs, then someone invented light-emitting diodes.
When vacuum tubes reached their limit, someone invented transistors.
The Stone Age did not end because of lack of ability to improve stones. Our ancestors learned how to make and use metals and alloys.
AI can be stopped. In fact, AI is very fragile. It can be destroyed by water, lightning, magnetism, or energy. Some want to stop AI progress. My view is these people are Luddites, afraid of the future or existing producers seeking to use the government to defend their first mover advantage.
However, we do need some regulations to provide guardrails and deal with foreseeable problems
Neither an AI expert nor an information technology wizard, I am just a guy with an engineering and business background and a knowledge of history and technology to guide me.
G.A. Ben Binninger
Valencia
