Is the human race rolling the dice with its own fate? As we careen toward a future dominated by artificial intelligence, there's an increasing number of warnings that we could be pushing ourselves closer to our own downfall.
Franchises like The Matrix and Terminator have shown how badly things can go wrong when AI goes rogue, but while they're works of fiction, there have been some worrying conversations about how accurate they could be.
After all, we've seen The Simpsons and Black Mirror seemingly predict the future with alarming accuracy, while even blind mystic Baba Vanga had her own thoughts on where tech is heading.
Experts like so-called Godfathers of AI Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio have warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Tristan Harris has revealed his own grim outlook.
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AI discussions are nothing new on Steven Bartlett's podcast, with Hinton previously updating the odds on the idea that robots will seize control from us flesh and blood humans. Known as the executive director and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, Harris also appeared in Netflix's The Social Dilemma documentary.
Speaking to Bartlett about where he sees AI heading, Harris explained how some of the biggest names in the industry are trying to build 'God' and replace biological life with digital life.
Referring to the 80/20 gamble, there's the idea that there's a 20% chance that everyone dies, while there's an 80% chance AI revolutionizes the world and we live in a utopia. Harris reiterated that some AI experts think that if they can get the technology right, they could live forever, "Because if AI perfectly speaks the language of biology, it will be able to reverse aging, cure every disease."
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Harking back to the statistic, Harris continued: "I have heard from one of the co-founders of one of the most powerful of these companies, when faced with the idea that what if there’s an 80% or 20% chance that everybody dies and gets wiped out by this, but an 80% chance that we get utopia, he said, 'Well, I would clearly accelerate and go for the utopia.' Given a 20% chance.”
Alongside a Bartlett saying that the conversation had given him goosebumps, Harris also mentioned how some AI models have been accused of resorting to blackmail to save themselves, while there's a general idea that companies are rushing to create artificial general intelligence (AGI), because if they don't, a rival will.
Harris clapped back at the notion that a small handful of people are making decisions for the entire human race, adding: "People should feel you do not get to make that choice on behalf of me and my family. We didn’t consent to have six people make that decision on behalf of 8 billion people.
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"We have to stop pretending that this is okay or normal. It’s not normal. And the only way that this is happening and they’re getting away with it is because most people just don’t really know what’s going on."
Either way, it's not exactly looking good. Harris says the next two years are 'critical', and as AI gallops toward mass job losses and 'runaway' research in 2027, he suggests the horse might've already bolted after humanity forgot to bolt the gate.