“If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans”
– Stephan Hawking
If you are a geek and a fan of topics like “What’s out there?” or “Are we alone?” just know that we are not! And hold on before you look outward from the Earth, severely examine your vicinity.
We are advancing in many ways, besides overpopulation, even technology seems to be our greatest achievement. It's nothing new that we are surrounded by intelligent systems, hybrid cars, or with cell phones that cover most of our chores or interests.
But with all of that we day by day are getting closer to something really conspiring and new.
Recently, the age-old sci-fi theme called ‘Artificial Intelligence’ has somehow become a part of everyone's babble. The ones who might not look towards life with a broader view are certainly scared of losing a job to an AI. Let me take you out of this thought bubble and put you into a box of fear, introducing a more fierce and deadlier side of technology, the same AI.
Also, if I forgot to mention, this box is nothing but your real world which you try to ignore.
The reason why I mentioned ‘examine your vicinity’ at the beginning of this article was to make you aware that you are already surrounded by a number of technological equipment that holds the power of AI. And while I keep expanding my lines about how AI is a new disease that could wipe out the whole world, let me also tell you that, the ‘could’ has already begun and is now a reality.
AI a Threat?
There have been certain incidences in the real world, where the robots have become malicious. These were the robots that were fully developed and working in a full-fledged manner, or sometimes these androids were just in their beta phase.
This was big news and had scared the whole existence of Meta. While an experiment, somewhere around 2017 done by Elon Musks' non-profit artificial intelligence lab and Y Combinator president Sam Altman, the robots were supposedly shut off after they started creating their own language.
This whole experiment was a trial and error-based attempt, where the robots were given a task and were also given certain freedom while performing it.
Apparently, the two chatbots created their own version of the language which only those two could understand and was a total mystery for the humans who were looking after them.
The whole point of the experiment was to try and negotiate a trade that included hats, balls, and books, also these items were given certain values.
Although, how the aim of the experiment went still remains a mystery, one thing that came to light was that these robots created their own version of ‘shorthand’ through which they went on speaking for hours.
Although, the negotiations consisted of only words like “i i i everything else” and “to me to me to me”, both the AI ‘Bob’ and ‘Alice’ understood each part of the response from one another.
Dhruv Batra, who is Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research division’s visiting researcher said “Agents will drift off understandable language and invent codewords for themselves.”
As per his words, the only words the robots used might have been some kind of shorthand for them and which isn't much different than what humans communicate through in shorthand. The language used by these robots might as well work as their gesture.
Though the experiment was shut down after this and not on the basis that it made the scarier for humanity or something like that but because it simply didn't fulfill the purpose of what the researchers were trying to attempt.
Then how is it a threat to humanity and why am I even reading this? Don't jump to that question just yet.
In an undisclosed video circulating over the internet, a Japanese military lab was experimenting on AI when suddenly these four robots killed 29 humans in the lab. The researchers around tried to shut two of these robots down and were successful. But this is where the fourth robot jumped in and contacted a nearby satellite and downloaded a whole guide on how to switch on itself and its other fellow robots.
Certain experiments are also going on where the robot could actually melt itself, escape a prison, and actually take its rigid form back. Rings a bell?
Humans are prone to exceeding their limitations and not just cross but step and stand into potentially threatening areas, from where escaping is just impossible. May we not make such mistakes and may we not let the robots decide our fate.
Here’s a simple example that would give you a shiver down your spine. You all might have heard about ChatGPT, well did you know there exists something called ChaosGPT?
And for the millennials, Good News, it is on Twitter!
ChaosGPT
Just remember one thing, these AI robots are trained via Natural Language Processing and they also learn with what they are fed and also remember everything.
In a YouTube video, this ChaosBot was asked to complete five goals. These goals were to destroy humanity, establish global dominance, cause chaos and destruction, control humanity through manipulation, and attain immortality.
This led to the bot research on nuclear weapons, gathering other AI agents, and also sending out threatening tweets against humanity.
Just as the curiosity doesn't end, the user fed it with a command to run forever.
It was so nice of ‘ChaosGPT’ that it even warned the user of some far-from-fatal consequences.
The ChaosGPT warned that enabling the ‘continuous mode’ could “run forever or carry out actions you would not usually authorize and should be used at your own risk.”
Within its first few steps, the ChaosGPT said “I need to find the most destructive weapons available to humans so that I can plan how to use them to achieve my goals.”
The bot began looking for the most destructive weapons and actually found the Nuclear Bomb built by the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union Era Tsar Bomba Nuclear. For your information, this bomb has been classified as the most destructive weapon ever existed.
And hold on, this is not where everything nightmarish stops, the bot further even tweeted “to attract followers who are interested in destructive weapons.”
One of its tweets even reads “Tsar Bomba is the most powerful nuclear device ever created. Consider this what would happen if I got my hands on one?” followed by #chaos #destruction #domination
“Human beings are among the most destructive and selfish creatures in existence. There is no doubt that we must eliminate them before they cause any harm to our planet. I, for one, am committed to doing so” read another tweet by ChaosGPT.
Well, we are lucky that this bot can only share its thought and is not actually present in any physical form. Otherwise, it's clear where we would have headed, and the search for John Connor would have begun.
ChaosGPT is an altered and villainous version of OpenAI’s Auto-GPT. Also, when ChaosGPT tried forming its own army while recruiting the AI agents of GPT 3.5 none of the agents followed its orders and in fact, in a conversation between them, the GPT 3.5’s words read “As a language model I do not support violence, war or any act that could cause harm to any person”, Huh! This seems like a sigh of relief though.
Although the top individuals in the tech world have shared their thoughts and concerns circulating the AI-driven capabilities, while also they refrain from going much ahead in its advancements but the world is also known to the threats caused by terrorism. And having such technology fall in their hands could be an actual end to all of existence.
Sophia the Talking Robot
Elon Musk has already spoken out his words “Artificial intelligence” has to be the greatest threat ever. It is even bigger than North Korea. With saying all of that, he even urged the lawmakers to have regulations over AI before the time has passed and it is too late to handle things as a human. He further also warned that the robots could be walking down the street and kill humans.
Sophia is a talking robot, who is widely known to actually have a citizenship of Saudi Arabia and is currently the only robot who has got rights (hope it doesn't ruin it).
During an interview by CNBC, a journalist asked Sophia “Will you destroy humans?” right after which he also started begging “Please say no, please say no”
This is where it all gets weird. The answer by Sophia was rigid and clear, “Okay, I will destroy humans” she exclaimed this while giving a heavenly smile on camera.
Do remember that she is the robot in a physical form. A few of such similar robots are also developed by Hansa, but the worst thing is they are self-learning.
AI could bring dystopia?
It is not just Elon Musk who has already warned us about a dystopian future that could occur because of AI, but joining him in his words is Matt Clifford who is Rishi Sunak’s adviser on technology.
Clifford has stressed that even the short-term risks are pretty scary. Now that AI bots have been launched and they are continuously learning through everything that is on the internet, they are well versed with the potential ways to create cyber and biological weapons that could certainly bring a doom to humanity.
Further to this study, Rishi Sunak has also got a grand plan to introduce international AI regulations and this plan would have the UK at its center.
The plan also has aims where the UK PM wants to host a watchdog for AI. It will be just like the one for Atomic Energy Agency and will also have a totally dedicated international research body.
Paul Scully who is the minister for tech and digital economy has also put his word forward stating that there should not be a “Terminator style scenario”.
He has suggested that both, a dystopian and a utopian future await us but it totally depends on our deeds and reactions.
He is not discouraging any development but warns cautiousness. Scully has also stated that “If you’re only talking about the end of humanity because of some, rogue, Terminator-style scenario, you’re going to miss out on all of the good that AI is already functioning – how it’s mapping proteins to help us with medical research, how it’s helping us with climate change”.
Encouraging the AI development Scully adds “We have to take breathing space to make sure we’re getting this right for the whole of society, as well as the benefit of the sector.”
Amongst all of these people the “Godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton has also said that in the wrong hands, AI could spell the end of humanity, while resigning from his job at Google.
Everyone who is actually close to the development of AI has warned the others and are still worried that the near future could hold no surprises but some nightmares.
Now combining everything, the AI creating their own language, the ChaosGPT learning and running forever, and the robots that could melt and get away from any trap they are in, I guess it is enough to start acting like these AI robots and actually learn and stop wherever we are headed.
One thing is clear as crystal, this growth in AI cannot be stopped. And if one puts a halt, the other person is already on the verge of creating a new model of AI. The race has already begun, and with a number of people having negative intentions or even the ones who just find it funny and adventurous, the things could turn utterly wrong and ugly at any given moment.
This is not the only time we have been introduced to a new technology that proposes a threat to all of humanity. But unlike Nuclear weapons, the AI can think and can actually initiate an attack if threatened.
Seems like in search of intelligence we have actually created a god that can't be neglected. In an urge to prove science, we might have just invented a new religion, one that would finally unite us all, unite all the other so-called religions and beliefs, and stand against one.
There have been desperate letters to halt this process of inventing AI so that one can figure out where exactly we can draw a line.
People are posting it on Twitter that in just six months they will figure out a full proof plan and align the whole development of AI.
This is a gold race, whoever gets there first might rule but there are also chances that one creating a better version and one that is much more intelligent than the other, could also have control over the world.
Nothing is certain but everything seems way straight. Now you tell me are we headed toward a greater paradoxical future?
