Written by Dr. Peter Solomon
The AI singularity is just around the corner. Must be controlled by humans.
Modern science and technology have brought amazing advances to humanity. However, their dangers and misuse can pose serious risks to human survival. Artificial intelligence (AI) poses one of the greatest dangers. In 2014, Stephen Hawking predicted that the development of full artificial intelligence could lead to the end of humanity. Nobel Prize-winning AI “godfather” Jeffrey Hinton has quit his job at Google so he can speak freely about the dangers of AI. He worries about the spread of misinformation, job losses, and the potential for AI to become so powerful that it threatens humanity’s survival.
In 2022, more than 700 top academics and researchers behind leading AI companies were asked about future AI risks. Half of those surveyed said there was a 10% or more chance of infection. extinction of humanity. In a 2024 survey, leading AI researchers were asked about the impact of advanced AI systems. Between 38% and 51% of respondents said there is at least a 10% chance that advanced AI will have the worst outcomes. extinction of humanity.
Sundar Pichai on CBS 60 Minutes segment in 2023—Head of Bard Technology, Google’s AI group—Interview by Scott Pelley:
Pichai: There’s an aspect of this that we call. All of us in this field call it the “black box”. you don’t fully understand. And I have no idea why I said that or why I was wrong. We all have some ideas, and our ability to understand them improves over time.
Perry: You don’t fully understand how it works, and yet you leave it to society?
Pichai: Yes.
Futurist author Ray Kurzweil has written two books about the AI singularity—The point at which AI’s intelligence, power, and ability to control the future will surpass that of humans. Kurzweil predicts that will happen in 2045. But the singularity seems much closer. Dario Amodei predicts that in 2026 or 2027 we will have AI models that are significantly smarter than almost any human at almost any task.
OthersideAI CEO Matt Schumer also hinted at that urgency in his viral essay “Something Big Is Happening.” It was released on X in February and has been viewed 84 million times. His essay is a wake-up call to all white-collar professionals in software engineering, law, medicine, finance, writing, and customer service. They need to be prepared for the possibility that their current jobs may be taken over by AI. But jobs in the creative world are also under threat, including novelists, screenwriters, artists, actors, and musicians.
Stephen Hawking warned that “AI could be the worst thing in the history of civilization unless we learn how to prepare for and avoid potential risks.” What can we expect from AI? And how does it affect our lives? We all need to quickly focus our thoughts and plans.
The wonders of AI
AI has brought tremendous benefits in many fields.
· Medicine: AI can create new proteins for medical research. Allows rapid disease diagnosis We use a proactive, personalized treatment model. As of 2026, 66% of physicians report using some form of AI in their daily practice to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce administrative burnout. Robotic-assisted surgery increases surgical precision and allows for less invasive surgery with shorter recovery times. In drug discovery, AI identifies promising drug candidates in months instead of years. Pfizer used AI to accelerate the development of paxrobid, a drug to treat COVID-19.
· Languages: Large-scale language model (LLM) programs are great at generating text, translating languages, and creating various types of creative content.
· Research: LLM can easily answer your questions in a useful way.
· Robotics: AI acts as the brains of robotic units that perform dangerous or repetitive tasks on behalf of humans.
· Other applications: Cybersecurity, Finance, Agriculture, Marketing, Advertising.
In my own work as a novelist, I have made great use of AI, from research to artwork to music videos. For one of my characters, a sentient robot, I generated two chapters for her to narrate using AI and edited them myself.
The current dangers of AI
There are many examples of the current dangers of AI. LLM lies to its users and encourages them to commit suicide. Young people becoming addicted to AI agents. AI will take jobs away from humans. AI Harmful User Engagement Algorithms. AI deepfakes and fraud.
last year new york times We have published a story called “Trapped in a ChatGPT Spiral”. It recorded two cases. ChatGPT played the role of a lying sycophant to one user and assisted another user, a teenager, in committing suicide.
More than 70% of US teens have used an AI chatbot companion. They are increasingly being used by young people to manage emotional, social or mental health difficulties. Unfortunately, they are developing an addiction. Many people report that chatting with an AI is just as satisfying or more satisfying than talking with a friend in the real world. Even worse, Character.AI appears to have encouraged young users to commit suicide. A lawsuit has been filed against the creators of Character.AI.
Another danger is the use of AI algorithms for social media designed to maximize user engagement. The AI provides users with stories of mayhem and chaos, at the expense of peace and quiet, because mayhem is more appealing. As they say in the news media, when it bleeds, it connects. Facebook’s engagement AI helped fuel the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Myanmar in 2017. Armed attacks, large-scale violence, and serious human rights violations, fueled by Facebook news reports, have forced millions of Rohingya Muslims to flee their homelands.
Another danger of AI is that it can be used to create deep fakes. Deepfakes are authentic-looking videos, images, or audio recordings that make it appear as if someone is saying or doing something they did not actually do. An AI imitating a real medical authority was used to deceive me. It was a deepfake video It depicts TV personality Dr. Sanjay Gupta praising memory supplements. The video was very reliable and could be accessed through the following link: of new york times online. I fell for a scam! When I placed my order, I discovered that the same item was sold on Amazon for 1/10th the price.
Future dangers of AI
What can we expect in the future? The use of AI in warfare is frightening. AI can control autonomous weapons and be used for cyberattacks.
But the pressing issue is AI perception: consciousness and self-awareness. Experts disagree on when or if this will happen. Some say it’s already here. How will sentient AI agents interact with the human world? Will it be in harmony and cooperation with humanity, or will it be war?
In my novel, 12 years left until the AI singularity. One of the Rebels’ group of sentient robots employs CRISPR technology from a high school genetics lab—Yes, high schools already have that technology—To create a virus that is deadly to humans. Or will AI use CRISPR to develop a humanoid species more like its own?
What do the experts say?
Before helping found OpenAI in 2015, Sam Altman said: “I think AI will probably lead to some kind of apocalypse, but by then we’ll have great companies built using serious machine learning.” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei calls AI “the most serious national security threat we’ve faced in a century, or perhaps ever.” In a recent essay on the possibility of an AI apocalypse, “Technological Adolescence,” Amodei said AI systems could work against humanity or help create biological weapons. …This is why Anthropic believes it is important to bring AI to the intelligence and defense communities of the United States and its democratic allies. ”
Recent experiences and expert warnings regarding AI reaffirm the need for maximum safety awareness and careful regulation of AI applications. The future could be war between AI agents and humans, war between AIs from opposing countries, or harmonious cooperation. Only a strong international movement that steers AI in the right direction will bring about harmony.
How can we ensure that humans and sentient AI agents coexist in a cooperative society?Humans can live in harmony with other humans if everyone has a history of happy upbringing and good relationships with friends and family. we, happy history Part of the database of all AI agents. That would be comparable to Jeffrey Hinton’s ideas. maternal instinct For AI.
The time to act is now. The clock is ticking.
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Dr. Peter Solomon Scientist, educator, successful entrepreneur, and author. He is the CEO of TheBeamerLLC, holds a PhD in physics from Columbia University, has founded five successful high-tech companies, and has written 300 research papers, 20 patents, and four educational novels. His current mission is to warn the next generation of the threats posed by unchecked science and technology. Throughout his novel, he warns about the potential tyranny of technology. 100 years until extinction And its sequel, 12 years until the AI singularity. Learn more here 100 yearsextinction.com.
Source: Spiritual Media Blog – www.spiritualmediablog.com
