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What AI Experts Think About the Existential Risk of AI

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-are-you-doing-dave? dept.

DaveS7 writes: There's been no shortage of high profile people weighing in on the subject of AI lately. We've heard warnings from Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking while Woz seems to have a more ambivalent opinion on the subject. The Epoch Times has compiled a list of academics in the field of AI research who are offering their own opinions. From the article: "A 2014 survey conducted by Vincent Müller and Nick Bostrom of 170 of the leading experts in the field found that a full 18 percent believe that if a machine super-intelligence did emerge, it would unleash an 'existential catastrophe' on humanity. A further 13 percent said that advanced AI would be a net negative for humans, and only a slight majority said it would be a net positive."

3 of 421 comments (clear)

  1. Funny, that spin... by Garridan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The summary really emphasizes the minority opinion, "and only a slight majority said it would be a net positive." As if "only a slight majority" is not the majority opinion.

    1. Re:Funny, that spin... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In light of the fact that Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk are not even remotely experts in A.I. your opinion is fairly odd.

    2. Re:Funny, that spin... by Shoten · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In light of the fact that Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk are not even remotely experts in A.I. your opinion is fairly odd.

      Question: What role do people who think that AI research is dangerous hold in the field of AI research?

      Answer: None...because regardless of their qualifications, they wouldn't further the progress of something they think is a very, very bad idea.

      Asking AI experts whether or not they think AI research is a bad idea subjects your responses to a massive selection bias. And discounting the views of others because they don't specialize in creating the thing they think should not be created does the same. You do realize that at your core, that's your only point...not that Hawking is an idiot, or that Gates doesn't know anything about technology. It's just that they don't work in the field of AI, so therefore they must not have any inkling whatsoever as to what they're talking about.

      --

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