'Godfather of AI' is right: If humans don't get on top of technology, it will destroy us

The Godfather of Artificial Intelligence has left Google and is warning everyone of the implications of a technology he helped develop.

If we don’t listen to him, we could lose so much of our ability to exercise free will that it’s hard to fathom.

Imagine a world where robots control everything from the money we spend and food we eat to where we can travel or worship.

It’s more than possible, based on the comments we’re hearing from Geoffrey Hinton, who says we need to consider the “existential risk of what happens when these things get more intelligent than us.”

“Right now,” he said at one point, “they’re not more intelligent than us, as far as I can tell, but I think soon they may be.”

'Godfather of AI' warns trouble's ahead:Geoffrey Hinton quits Google, sounds alarm bell

AI, Chatbots will soon reason as well as humans. Where are the limits?

It’s not hard to imagine a reality where computers control us more than we control them.

Hinton said that digital systems can learn separately but spread their knowledge instantly. Imagine, he said, that 10,000 people sat down to study, and as soon as one person learned something, all the others also knew it.

Right now, Chatbots can’t reason as well as humans. But given how quickly the technology develops, it won’t be long before that gap closes.

“We expect them to get better quite fast, and we need to worry about that,” he said.

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Where are the limits? What are the controls?

And before calling for a moratorium on all computer learning and artificial intelligence development, imagine the implications if China or Russia outpace the U.S. in technological might.

It would create a security threat that would shift the balance of world power, potentially creating economic and infrastructural chaos for everyday Americans.

Inflation and quality-of-life standards could collapse the nation as we know it within a generation.

What if AI keeps us from exercising free will?

We can’t extinguish this fire, but we need to figure out how to keep it from burning our world to the ground.  

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It’s easy to imagine dystopian science-fiction scenarios from franchises like the “Terminator.”

But it goes much further. AI systems could stop everyday people from exercising free will.  

Most every aspect of our lives includes a digital footprint, including banking and purchasing.

Imagine the bots decide to help weak-willed humans with self-discipline: What would stop bot systems from blocking transactions for cigarettes, alcohol or other vices?

What if a bot determined a user to be overweight and wouldn’t allow purchases of snack cakes or fast food?

What if artificial intelligence views humans as threats?

Maybe you think that’s not so bad, and that you would even sign up for such a service. But what if the computers started to regard human activity as a threat?

The world’s population has swelled to the point that it’s straining resources.

Would the computers prevent hospitals from making live-saving operations? Or could electricity or communications to nursing homes get cut off in order to preserve resources?

What about travel? Could the computers determine that greenhouse gasses and other emissions related to shipping or leisure travel are bad for the environment and shut it all down?

AI systems can’t exist if human activity destroys the Earth they thrive on, and why would we assume the bots would care at all about modern comfort and convenience when making logical decisions?

What if the computers determine that religion is irrational and the cause of more harm than good?

What would digital networks from cutting off churches or other houses of worship from banking or being able to disseminate their messages on television or through social media?

Don't ignore Geoffrey Hinton's warning

There’s no end to the number of ways an unchecked digital learning environment could alter our lives.

And Hinton’s warning is a call for government and tech ethics societies to get on top of AI before we’re crushed under it.

Just imagine a world without free will.

It’s more than possible, based on what we’re hearing.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore.