AI is a threat to democracy and is more dangerous than H-bombs or perhaps they’ll work together in their destruction with the former preceding the latter. The nerds that created artificial intelligence computing are in the same category as J Robert Oppenheimer who created the atomic bomb.
Both have the potential to destroy the world in the wrong hands and I would pretty well guarantee that the “wrong hands” will use both in their criminal madness. There is a biblical phrase which goes “the meek shall inherit the Earth”.
It means that gentle people will inherit the Earth (wrong by the way). I would argue that it is the nerds who will inherit the Earth. They’ll run the planet. It is almost happening at present.
AI dangers are being realised
The news stories about the use of artificial intelligence are coalescing around its dangers to humanity. About four years ago, Elon Musk said: “Mark my words, AI is far more dangerous than nukes”. Today, the UK’s Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said that AI-generated deepfakes provide a “perfect storm” for malicious states and criminals to undermine democracy by affecting elections.
Foreseeing mass destruction
There has been a rapid advancement in AI computing to the point where I think of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is described as the “father of the atomic bomb”. He famously said after detonating his creation: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
He was foreseeing the devastating potential of the atomic bomb in the wrong hands. It’s coming to fruition with Putin and Medvedev who consistently threaten to use nukes as they are euphemistically called if they lose any ground in the east of Ukraine that they gained through this protracted war.
The nerds who wrote the code to create artificial intelligence computing have done something very similar to what J Robert Oppenheimer did. They’ve created an instrument of destruction in the wrong hands. And I would suggest that artificial intelligence is going to be used far more powerfully by criminals and terrorist states that it is by people who want to do good.
AI is ideal for malign agents, hostile states such as Russia and Iran as a means to attain their objectives which is to destroy the West.
Elon Musk said that AI needs to be regulated by an independent body to oversee its development. Too late. The cat is out of the bag (you see I can get a cat into the article quite easily! 😊).
Regulation?
I think it’s too late for a regulatory body to be set up to monitor and regulate the use of AI. In fact, it’s far too late. The point is that the development of AI is running at a breakneck speed. The nerds have got their heads down and they’re developing it super-quickly, whereas regulatory bodies need to be set up by governments. In fact, they need to be set up internationally by a multitude of different governments.
We know how impossible it is for countries to cooperate in the interests of the planet. Just look at the COP meetings where they’ve tried to arrive at an agreement to curb global warming for many years. A lot of words but not much in the way of practical, on the ground action.
The Times reports that, “Cleverly said the acceleration of technology had made the availability of the most ‘sophisticated digital tools’ available to ‘malign actors’ anywhere in the world.”
Google has entered into the debate. Earlier this month senior executives at Google warned that “the explosion of AI-powered deepfakes and other disinformation posed a ‘very serious’ threat to democracy” – The Times.
They should know. Google has established around-the-clock war rooms to identify misinformation according to The Times report.
It is entirely plausible that AI disinformation could influence voting that’s close such as in the 2020 US presidential election race which President Trump lost to Biden. AI has advanced so much since then, over the past four years, that another close call could be affected by this technology.
Members of Parliament in Britain generally believe that AI misinformation can undermine the next general election.
The nerds have inherited the earth. They run the planet. The rest of us play catch up. Technology has come to dominate our lives. Many people can’t cope with it and are flummoxed by it. It’s time for a simpler life. A slower life. Less social media harming young kids. Less 24/7 interactions on the Internet. There is little time to stop and rest unless you’re one of the millions of young adults in the UK who can’t work because of mental health problems. Does anyone believe that?
RELATED: Artificial intelligence cannot have opinions but can discuss ethical and moral issues
Geeks get it wrong
It is extraordinary to report that Google’s geeks of which there are probably thousands all of which are on £250,000 a year, can get it entirely wrong because as you might have heard, Google Gemini has demonstrated a bias towards people of colour over white people. The AI’s graphic abilities have been severely compromised when for example it created an image of a black Nazi soldier. All well and good but Adolf Hitler will be turning in his grave.
