How AI Fits Into Humanity’s Troubling History
Like nuclear weapons, AI was born of human ingenuity. But its challenges are unique.
The story discussing the challenges faced by humanity due to its own ingenuity has been gaining attention, primarily due to the recent influx of news coverage on artificial intelligence (AI). This has led some to believe that humanity is doomed, largely because of AI's potential to wipe out the species. However, this conclusion might be overly simplistic. The real issue at hand is something more profound and resistant to regulation: human nature itself.
Throughout history, human ingenuity has brought about advancements that initially appear beneficial but ultimately bring about more complex challenges. For example, the transition to agriculture in river deltas like the Tigris and Euphrates led to increased food supply, trade, and the emergence of states. However, it also resulted in the spread of infectious diseases, causing mass death and abandonment of urban centers.
The author uses history as a backdrop to illustrate how human progress has consistently been followed by unforeseen difficulties. From the invention of the wheel, harnessing horses and livestock, and sea travel by sail, to the exploitation of coal and the internal combustion engine, each technological leap has been met with its share of unforeseen consequences. Global warming and the potential dangers of nuclear weapons are among the recent crises that have emerged from human advancement in energy usage.
The author argues that the current AI crisis shares this pattern but is also unique in its ability to potentially remove human agency from the equation altogether. While global warming and nuclear weapons dangers have been addressed to varying degrees by political processes and global governance, AI's unique challenge is that it may remove the human element from decision-making processes entirely.
One of the factors hindering more aggressive action on climate change and nuclear proliferation is the rivalry for wealth, power, and status among great powers. This rivalry has led to shifts in positions on climate change, with the United States, for instance, moving from a leading force in promoting an anti-warming agenda under President Barack Obama to a heedless advocate of oil and coal under President Donald Trump.
This cycle of rivalry and shifting priorities is a reflection of the dark aspect of human nature that is relevant to the existential challenges posed by AI.
Written by urgent.news from Foreign Policy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
