With proper regulation, AI will continue to advance the welfare of humanity
IN 1284, Hamelin, a town of 60,000 residents in Lower Saxony, Germany, had a problem. It was so infested with rats that the town hall hired a Pied Piper to exterminate them.
In 1284, the town of Hamelin in Lower Saxony, Germany, was overrun with rats. To combat the infestation, the town hired a Pied Piper with a magical flute capable of entrancing rodents. Much like the sirens in Homer's Odyssey, the Pied Piper's melody lured the rats to their demise. When the town refused to pay for his services, the Pied Piper turned his anger towards the children, leading 130 of them away with his hypnotic tune.
This scenario raises the question of whether AI could become the Pied Piper or sirens of humanity, posing an existential threat to our existence. Throughout history, warnings have been issued about the dangers of technology to humanity, but in recent times, the concern over AI has escalated dramatically. From the Terminator movies to James Barr's 2013 book, Our Final invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era, experts have expressed alarm over the potential for AI to destroy civilization.
Yuval Hariri, a historian, warns that we have encountered an alien intelligence that may threaten our existence, urging us to regulate AI before it controls us. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, has cautioned that AI could kill one-eighth of humanity by partnering with biotechnology to create deadly viruses or bio-weapons. Other estimates range from 50% to total annihilation.
Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist, also expressed concern about AI-driven human destruction. Today, Elon Musk and Bill Gates share similar fears. While AI safety is compromised by the rapid pace of development and the lack of updated security protocols, it is crucial to ensure that AI continues to advance in a way that enhances human welfare.
To achieve this, Sunder Pitchay and Bill Gates propose establishing an international agency to regulate AI, with local agencies like Malaysia's National AI Office to localize these global rules. AI labs must adhere to universally accepted guardrails, and these requirements can eventually be codified into regulations. In Malaysia, the 2024 guidelines on AI governance and ethics could be legislated.
AI companies should be held accountable for any harm caused, such as providing compensation if their models cause harm to individuals or organizations. A kill-switch should also be implemented to halt rogue AI behavior, preventing it from becoming the Pied Piper or sirens of humanity.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
