Universal artificial intelligence could make the modern world a more attractive place to live, the researchers say. It will be able to cure us of cancer, improve overall healthcare around the world, and free us from the daily chores that we spend most of our lives on. These aspects were the main topic of conversation among engineers, investors, researchers and policymakers gathered at the recent joint multiconference on the development of human-level artificial intelligence.
But there were also those at this event who see in artificial intelligence not only a benefit, but also a potential threat. Some expressed their fears about rising unemployment, as with the advent of full-fledged AI, people will begin to lose their jobs, freeing them up for more flexible, fatigue-free robots endowed with superintelligence; others have hinted at the possibility of a machine uprising if we let things go. But where exactly should we draw the line between groundless alarmism and real concern for our future?
The Futurism portal asked five experts in the field of artificial intelligence development with this question, and tried to find out what exactly in AI scares its creators most of all.
Kenneth Stanley, Professor at the University of Central Florida, Senior CTO and Research Fellow at Uber's Artificial Intelligence Lab:
On how to develop secure AI:
Irakli Beridze, Head of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at the United Nations Interregional Research Institute on Crime and Justice (UNICRI):
On terrorism, crime and other sources of risk:
John Langford, Chief Scientist, Microsoft Corporation:
Hava Siegelman, DARPA Microsystem Technology Program Manager:
Thomas Mikolov, Researcher, Facebook AI Lab:
Nikolay Khizhnyak
