Concerns about AI (Artificial Intelligence) are becoming increasingly heated as countries around the world are striving to lead the AI industry. While efforts are being made to advance AI research and development, worries about the potential harm of AI on humanity are also on the rise.
On May 4th, legendary American investor Warren Buffett issued a stern warning about the potential dangers of AI during a shareholder meeting. He associated the potential of AI with nuclear weapons, stating: “When we developed nuclear weapons, we let a genie out of the bottle. That genie is doing some terrible things lately, and the power of that genie scares me. I don’t know how to put the genie back in the bottle, and AI is somewhat similar.” He also mentioned the potential of using AI for fraud and warned that AI fraud could become a major “growth industry.” He pointed out that AI technology can replicate realistic and deceptive content, attempting to divert money into the hands of criminals. Fraudsters could use AI voice replication and deepfake technology to manipulate videos and images, impersonating someone’s family members or friends to solicit money or personal information.
Buffett gave an example of fraudsters replicating an image of someone’s daughter and falsely claiming in this relationship that the person’s daughter had just been in a car accident and needed a $50,000 wire transfer. He further emphasized the deepfake technology of AI, stating that he had seen people using his likeness, but that “the message transmitted is certainly not from me.”
Almost simultaneously, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg remarked during a “Autonomous Weapon Systems Conference” that “AI is our generation’s Oppenheimer moment.” This reference is to the American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who successfully invented the atomic bomb, contributing to the victory of the United States and its allies in World War II, earning him the title “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” However, Oppenheimer witnessed the catastrophe the atomic bomb brought to Japan and the indelible scars it left on the Earth, leading him to question whether his decision to aid in the development of the atomic bomb was correct.
Schallenberg stated, “Humanity is at a crossroads in history, autonomous weapons will fill the battlefields worldwide. Currently, drones and AI-related machines are spreading across the battlefield, and we are facing legal, ethical, and security issues.”
He emphasized the urgent global need for internationally agreed-upon rules and regulations in the field of AI to prevent AI from exhibiting out-of-control behavior due to errors and extreme biases, leading to the extinction of humanity and massive death. It is essential that humans ensure that (weapons) are controlled by humans, not by AI.
Japanese computer engineer Kiyoharajin echoed Schallenberg’s sentiments, emphasizing that “compliance with ethics is the only way to ensure that humanity does not self-destruct. If ethics do not keep pace with the development of weapons or technology, it is easy for people to become lost and neglect safety awareness.”
In fact, as early as August 21, 2016, experts and leaders of 26 AI and robotics companies from the United States, Denmark, Canada, France, etc., signed an open letter warning against “killer robots” and other AI autonomous weapons that could bring about the third wave of “warfare revolution” following gunpowder and nuclear weapons, calling for a comprehensive ban on development by the United Nations. Almost simultaneously, North Korea launched missiles directly at Guam, further testing a hydrogen bomb that caused a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, echoing the concerns of this signed letter about the “warfare revolution.”
We know that in the 19th century, Nobel invented gunpowder, which was eventually used as a weapon of killing, making wars more brutal, resulting in more casualties and greater destruction. Nobel was dubbed a “death merchant” for inventing new ways of killing to amass wealth. In order to atone for his sins, he established the Nobel Prize in his will, hoping to inspire improvements, discoveries, and inventions in the fields of physics, chemistry, and medicine, as well as literary creations and efforts for human peace, with the aim of benefiting humanity.
However, following Nobel’s invention, human science rapidly advanced, and technology made great strides. While human life became more convenient, the emergence of nuclear energy and atomic bombs made warfare more brutal, with the arms race and harm of nuclear energy in the “second wave of warfare revolution” being evident. The frenzy surrounding artificial intelligence now has even top high-tech experts on edge, as the fears of destruction and doomsday continue to rise, raising questions about whether technological advancements are truly synonymous with progress. Is technology bringing benefits or harm to humanity? Such doubts are once again weighing on the hearts of people.
Elon Musk, CEO of the American electric car giant Tesla, stated nearly a decade ago that while he remains optimistic about the progress of AI in areas such as solar energy, electric vehicles, and space exploration, AI weapons will pose the biggest threat to human survival. He believes that while the destructive power of such weapons is generally understood, few people are facing the imminent threat. “Deployment and application could be achieved within a few years.”
Furthermore, as modern technology advances to enhance material enjoyment, will it corrupt human hearts? Particularly after the introduction of a game of money, the desire for profit accelerates the corruption of human hearts. Coupled with the power of computers, interactions and communication between individuals have been replaced by information networks, diminishing direct human interactions and eroding the “goodness of human nature.”
With the decline of morality and ethics in human hearts, as technology progresses, the greater its harm, highlighting that modern humans are unworthy of utilizing high technology and might self-destruct by playing with fire. Even high-tech experts are stepping forward to call for prohibitions. However, without returning to the restoration of human hearts and reclaiming traditional ethical principles, bans alone cannot be enforced! Therefore, as Japanese computer engineer Kiyoharajin recently emphasized, “compliance with ethics is the only way to ensure that humanity does not self-destruct. If ethics do not keep pace with the development of weapons or technology, it is easy for people to become lost and neglect safety awareness.” So, humanity! Let us strive to return to basics and reclaim traditional ethical values!
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