IF YOU ask the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT what the rise of synthetic intelligence means for humanity’s future, it proffers a measured response, concluding that “the future of humanity with AI is not predetermined, and its impact will depend on how AI is developed, regulated, and integrated into various aspects of society”.
Sensible stuff however, let’s be sincere, evasive. If you really need to get to grips with how the period of AI will pan out for us, you’re higher off asking Scott Aaronson and Boaz Barak, laptop scientists on the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University, respectively. They have already gone to the difficulty of boiling down the prolonged discourse on the matter to a handful of outcomes – and given every a whimsical title. “Our goal was to map out the scenarios that people are currently talking about,” says Aaronson.
Discussing it at size over dinner, they ended up satisfied that simply 5 future worlds cowl all of the possible endpoints of our improvement of AI. The pair then wrote a submit on Aaronson’s weblog, hoping that “The five worlds of AI” would assist folks within the subject speak meaningfully to one another about finish targets and regulation. (*5*) says Barak.
Here, then, is a vaguely choose-your-own-adventure fashion exploration of their 5 worlds. It is a bit of enjoyable, with the twist that, relying on how we play issues, we might wind up in an AI-assisted utopia…or wipe out humanity.
The…