Some major names are taking their fight to the top, and in an era where artificial intelligence is in danger of overtaking the human race, some of us flesh and blood Homo sapiens are speaking out about being replaced.
There's been a massive boom in artificial intelligence's evolution, but with it, there have been some obvious concerns. We only recently covered a group of parents who testified about the deaths of their children being linked to AI, while there's also been a warning from a psychology professor about an uptick in people romancing chatbots. That's before we get to jailbroken AI admitting it could harm humans, or the more immediate worry that it'll simply make us obsolete by taking our jobs.
The problem is that while some seem to be using AI to genuinely enhance the human race, others are using it for frivolous or nefarious means. It doesn't help when President Donald Trump goes around sharing bizarre AI deepfakes, with the most recent depicting him as 'King Trump' and dumping feces on his critics.
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An increasing number of big names are airing their concern, with the likes of the Oscar-nominated Emily Blunt speaking out on AI.
Now, a slew of powerful figures from a whole host of industries have formed an unlikely alliance targeting tech billionaires including Elon Musk steering us toward this dystopian future. In a move no one saw coming, Prince Harry and Will.i.am are among those who've signed their names to the Future of Life Institute's demands that rules be put in place for where AI is heading.
Other notable signatories include Meghan Markle, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, billionaire Richard Branson, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and 'Gofather' of AI Geoffrey Hinton. The irony is that Future of Life Institute is a non-profit AI safety group that was once funded by Elon Musk himself.
The group of scientists and public figures asked for the brakes to be put on AI until there's "broad scientific consensus that it will be done safely and controllably.”
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The Future of Life Institute has made similar calls in the past, but adding so many influential names to the cause has grabbed headlines.
Max Tegmark, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and president of the Future of Life Institute, said: "What unites all of these people across the political spectrum is that they’re actually all humans, not machines, and therefore really care very deeply about that the future should be one where the machines work for us, not some kind of new digital overlords."
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Tegmark reiterated how he's glad concerns about AI's rampant development is "getting out of the nerd bubble" and attracting more noticeable names that aren't confined to the science community.
A recent survey from the Future of Life Institute showed that 73% of respondents want 'robust' regulation on AI. Similarly, a Gallup poll claimed that 88% Democrats and 79% of Republicans want to keep tight rules on AI safety and security.
While one of the institute's early backers was Mr. Musk back in 2015, its biggest recent donor is Vitalik Buterin, a man who is remembered as a co-founder of the Ethereum blockchain. Defiantly, the Future of Life Institute reiterates that it won't accept donations from major companies or anyone who seeks to build AI.