Is AI Really an Existential Threat to Humanity?

Blaise Agüera y Arcas speaks at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Artificial intelligence, we have been told, is all but guaranteed to change everything. Often, it is foretold as bringing a series of woes: "extinction," "doom,"; AI is at risk of "killing us all." US lawmakers have warned of potential "biological, chemical, cyber, or nuclear" perils associated with advanced AI models and a study commissioned by the State Department on "catastrophic risks," urged the federal government to intervene and enact safeguards against the weaponization and uncontrolled use of this rapidly evolving technology. Employees at some of the main AI labs have made their safety concerns public and experts in the field, including the so-called "godfathers of AI," have argued that "mitigating the risk of extinction from AI" should be a global priority. Advancements in AI capabilities have heightened fears of the possible elimination of certain jobs and the misuse of the technology to spread disinformation and interfere in elections.