Many prominent and respected people have been warning that this would happen, and now that it has, we should not be shocked. Nevertheless, we are. And while no one can predict the future, one thing is certain: the developments we’ve seen so far are not even the tip of the iceberg.

We’re talking about AI, of course. In case you haven’t been following the latest developments in this technology, the headline of an article on one website says it all: “The Awakening is Here: AI is Spontaneously Improving Itself and is Becoming ‘Human’ at a Very Frightening Pace.” Okay, let’s agree that “becoming human” is an exaggeration — but not by all that much.

If you disagree, consider this: just several weeks ago, Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg publicly stated that over the last few months, “We have begun to see glimpses of our AI systems spontaneously improving themselves. The improvement is slow for now, but undeniable. Developing superintelligence is now in sight.”

A comment as explicit and ominous as this from a top tech guru like Zuckerberg is concerning and needs to be taken seriously. But it also gives reason for optimism because of all the benefits it can bring to the workplace and to the world at large.

AI has already brought a myriad of improvements, leading to increased productivity in the workplace, breakthroughs in scientific research, customized education, and much more. As one website put it: “It seems clear that in the coming years AI will improve all our existing systems and enable the creation and discovery of new things that aren’t imaginable today.” Zuckerberg — and he’s far from the only one — is convinced that superintelligence will have tremendous benefits for our society.

 

The Good, The Bad…

All of this is exciting and encouraging, but there’s also a flip side to this coin, and it’s unsettling. Here’s why: when new technology is introduced to the marketplace, it often follows a familiar pattern. At first, it generates a great deal of excitement. Consumers and businesses, enthralled by its capabilities, rush to adopt it, and the technology quickly catches on.

But then the bad actors arrive: they sneak viruses into some of these products, monitoring or even destroying them. Emails are hacked, leading to breaches of privacy and confidentiality. The technology is used to scam users and, along with phishing and related schemes, creates serious problems for individuals and society.

Yes, antivirus software helps — but it’s far from foolproof. Do you think AI is immune to these issues? What schemes and plots might become reality if malicious actors gain access to advanced AI systems? Hopefully none, because the problems AI could create could easily dwarf those we’ve seen so far.

Meta’s stated goal is to make superintelligence available to everyone. The company says it wants to put this power into people’s hands so they can direct it toward what they value most in their lives. But what happens when individuals whose sole ambition is to gain power and control — at any cost — have access to these tools?

The website End of the American Dream paints one chilling scenario: “Right now, we are still in control of the incredibly sophisticated AI systems that we have built, but what happens once we lose control? Theoretically, self-replicating AI systems could send copies of themselves all over the world through the Internet, and once that happens, we will never be able to shut them down. At that stage, there would be very little we could do if they decided to go to war with humanity. Perhaps we could try to destroy the Internet and every device that was ever connected to it, but that would also collapse virtually every system that our society depends upon at the same time. If we do not get AI under control now, eventually it could try to take control of us.”

 

Excellent Job

There are growing concerns that AI is doing its job too well. It’s been noted that ChatGPT has become so much like us that, in some ways, it has become indistinguishable from its human counterparts — and in other ways, it clearly outperforms humans.

For example, complex math problems that once took scientists years to solve — delaying progress and discoveries in chemistry, physics, and other fields — can now be solved by AI in a matter of hours.

AI can also handle many everyday tasks people perform daily, such as online shopping, scheduling appointments, translating languages, writing cover letters, and even composing lyrics.

At last year’s We, Robot event, Elon Musk introduced Tesla’s new self-driving taxi, drawing oohs and aahs from attendees. Others were more impressed by Optimus, Tesla’s AI-powered robot. The company’s promotional video showed Optimus doing everything from babysitting and vacuuming to performing highly skilled jobs. Looking ahead, it’s anticipated that this robot will play a significant role in healthcare.

Putting all of this together, there is strong reason to believe that the time when robots can do many — if not most — jobs as well as humans, or even better, has arrived. The question is no longer if they will replace people in the workforce, but when.

AI could give us the opportunity to spend our time on what we want to do instead of what we have to do. In theory, that sounds great. But having too much free time and too few responsibilities could also create new emotional challenges and temptations. Most of us are not prepared for this transition. One day, we may all look back nostalgically at life the way it is now.

Sources: AI Overview; Bloomberg.com; EndOfTheAmericanDream.com; ZeroHedge.com

Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.