Artificial intelligence concerns... Is it justified or just a reflection of our reality
Years before the boom that we are witnessing today in generative AI models, the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, in 2014, sounded warnings about the possible existential dangers that the rapid development of artificial intelligence may pose, and since that time the debate about the future of this technology and its impact on humanity has been escalating.
Hawking's fears were not based on the assumption of any evil or aggressive intent inherent in artificial intelligence itself but arose from the perception of artificial intelligence reaching a critical point known as Singularity, a moment when artificial intelligence exceeds human capabilities and independently acquires the ability to develop itself and improve its performance at a pace that exceeds the limits of its original programming, becoming an uncontrollable entity.
Hawking summed up these concerns in an eloquent and disturbing phrase: "Super AI will be very adept at achieving its goals, and if those goals are not compatible with ours, we will be in troubl”e.
With the accelerated progress towards achieving general artificial intelligence (AGI)—a type of intelligence with comprehensive cognitive capabilities comparable to humans-in recent years, voices have come from industry leaders and prominent scientists expressing similar concerns regarding the safety of this technology and its possible repercussions.
Human fears of artificial intelligence:
Public concerns about artificial intelligence often crystallize into two main scenarios:
Catastrophic existential scenario: frequently depicted in science fiction works, as in the famous science fiction film series (The Terminator), a catastrophic scenario in which artificial intelligence takes control of complex military systems and unleashes a full-scale nuclear war with the aim of eliminating the human race.
The economic and social scenario: a possibility that seems less alarming on a global level but could be devastating on an individual and economic level is that artificial intelligence, with its increased abilities to perform cognitive, creative, and physical tasks, will replace humans in a wide range of jobs and professions, threatening to make the vast majority of the workforce economically useless and with no clear future.
However, these obsessions and fears, whether terrifying existential or worrying economic, are not the product of the moment or a pure product of the current digital age but are, in fact, an echo of deep human feelings and concern about technology and its ability to exceed our control, ideas that have prevailed in cinematic and literary works for more than a century.
This cultural influence has raised important questions: Does the contemporary debate about the dangers of artificial intelligence reflect a deep understanding of current technology and its challenges, or is it still heavily influenced by these deep-rooted popular cultural narratives? and does the sometimes excessive focus in the most extreme scenarios and virtual ends of the world distract us from the pressing ethical and social problems, which
The evolution of artificial intelligence concerns the advent of the computer age.
Concerns about technological developments are manifested in some of the oldest literary, theatrical, and cinematic works, which dealt with the idea of robots and artificial minds, the most notable of which are Karl Chapek's groundbreaking play Rossum's Universal Robots, in 1920, which first introduced the word "robot" to the world—a word derived from the Czech word "robota," meaning forced labor – and also presented a touching dystopian vision of the rebellion of robots against humans.
The plot of this play revolves around a factory that produces robots—in Chapek's conception, they were organically manufactured biological organisms, not mechanical machines—with the sole aim of completely replacing human labor and providing a life of absolute well-being for humans, but in the end these beings acquired a degree of awareness or sense of injustice that prompted them to carry out a violent revolution on humans.
Similarly, the movie Metropolis, produced in 1927, is about rebellious robots, but in this film, human workers, headed by the iconic humanoid robot called Maria, lead a rebellion against the rule of a capitalist oligarchy of humans.
With the advent of the computer age and the exponential and astonishing advances in computational capabilities and processing power from the mid-twentieth century onwards, these advances have only fueled and intensified existing fears about technology getting out of human control.
Computing power has given a more realistic and credible technical basis to fears that previously seemed just distant science fiction. These evolving fears were manifested in later cinematic works, including the deadly supercomputer (HAL 9000), which appeared in the film (2001: A Space Odyssey), and the armed robots in (Westworld), both in the original film released in 1973 and in the famous series produced by the platform (HBO) in 2016 and continued until 2022. The Blade Runner and The Matrix film series also present various and advanced forms of the evils of artificial intelligence or artificial beings.
These examples illustrate how the fears reflected in science fiction have evolved, from rebellious mechanical or biological robots at the beginning of the twentieth century to superintelligent computer artificial intelligence systems and dominant digital networks in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, reflecting the development of technology itself and its increasing influence on our future perceptions and fears.
Redirect the Compass. Are we afraid of the machine or its maker
Artificial intelligence concerns... Is it justified or just a reflection of our reality
Some researchers and thinkers consider that the state of horror and panic provoked by the idea of the superiority of artificial intelligence and its possible control over humans is nothing but a deliberate distraction that distracts our attention from scrutinizing the dark side of human nature itself, the intentions behind such a rapid development of this technology.
Let's think a little about who really benefits from the abuse of artificial intelligence On closer inspection, we find that the giant technology companies that are currently developing and deploying these technologies with the aim of dominating markets and making huge profits, as well as technology tycoons, often driven by greed and the pursuit of power, are better able to profit from any unethical or exploitative use of artificial intelligence. They have the resources and the ability to direct these powerful technologies to serve their own interests, even if at the expense of the common good or the rights of individuals.
These risks are embodied in real and concrete issues that we are witnessing today, including unauthorized use of original works of art and mass collection of data from copyrighted books and articles, ignoring the intellectual property rights of the authors, with the sole purpose of training artificial intelligence models.
Classrooms are also becoming worrisome places of surveillance through the use of automated programs powered by artificial intelligence to track student behavior and performance.
In addition, the debate is escalating about the dangers of the phenomenon (artificial intelligence companionship)—which is about humans forming emotional relationships with artificial intelligence systems—that go beyond the boundaries of the individual to encompass the entire fabric of society. As we enjoy interacting with these intelligent systems, we are witnessing profound transformations in human relationships, social values, and even in the concept of identity.
These accelerated developments give new importance to the deep fears expressed by computer scientist Ella Nurbakhsh in his book published in 2015 entitled Robot Futures, as he pointed out that the real danger lies in the use of artificial intelligence to produce a system that manipulates our deep desires and needs and then sells them back to us in the form of products and services.
At the same time, concerns about privacy violations and data mining seem almost benign and almost harmless when compared to the increasing uses of artificial intelligence in law enforcement and the military, as these technologies facilitate surveillance, imprisonment, and even murder in an unprecedented way.
It is necessary to remember that it is humans who create these sophisticated technologies and direct how they are used, often for political or economic gain, even if it is at the expense of human suffering and exploiting its weaknesses.
Amid mounting warnings and worried voices about AI's ability to wreak havoc and destruction at some point, some researchers argue that the core issue lies not in the immediate technical challenge of how to curb machines or put technological restrictions to prevent them from rebelling, but rather in humanity's ability to possess the wisdom, insight, and far-reaching moral vision necessary to guide this powerful technology towards building a more just, healthy, and prosperous world for all.
Our main goal should not be to prevent hypothetical catastrophic scenarios but to proactively and purposefully harness these capabilities towards building a better future, a future in which artificial intelligence tools contribute to finding solutions to intractable problems, promoting justice and equity, improving health and wellness levels, and achieving sustainable and comprehensive economic prosperity, not for a lucky few people or specific countries, but for all humanity without discrimination or exception.
It should be noted that the real challenge lies not in the nature of artificial intelligence itself—after all, it is a super-powerful tool, but it remains a tool that reflects the values, goals, and data with which we feed it and guide it to achieve-but in our ability as humans to use it for good and avoid being trapped by our own greed and weaknesses. The future is not determined by the machine, but by its creators and those destined to use it.
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