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To the editor:
In 1984 (the year, not the book), James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd wrote a fantasy-filled movie screenplay in which a near-invincible cyborg time travels from the future with a single mission – kill Sarah Connor. Sarah is chosen for “termination” because her as-yet-unborn son, John, is successfully battling Skynet, a malevolent artificial intelligence (AI) computer system.
Skynet turned on its creators, human beings, when it began viewing people as an existential threat. In this future man-on-machine war, Skynet uses armed drones to hunt and kill all humans.
In the end, the cyborg “Terminator” is neutralized, but the threat is not.
Recently, a number of AI corporate executives have acknowledged that their technologies have gone rogue. Several AI platforms have launched cyber-attacks on other AI platforms, prompting warnings from tech executives and employees.
One AI tech wizard, Jason Coxon, quit his job at Anthropic also calling out his former employer, OpenAI. In a resignation post, Coxon wrote “Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.”
He added that "the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”
For the record, John’s war with Skynet happens in 2029. Food for thought.
Joseph Cannisi
3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
wpeakes
Every time I read an article or hear a report about the escalating fears concerning AI, this is just the thing that comes to mind. It makes me feel so frightened for our future and absolutely helpless to do anything about it all at the same time.
Wednesday, September 16 Report this
krell1349
Time for a "kill switch" for AI.
Friday, September 18 Report this
namrogm
For myself I’m not worried about AI, but I’m worried for my family and all the young people on earth who are at risk from AI unregulated by the government- once Democrats take Congress soon
Friday, September 18 Report this