Artificial intelligence systems more apt to fail than to destroy

The most realistic risks about the dangers of artificial intelligence are basic mistakes, breakdowns and cyber attacks, an expert in the field says – more so than machines that become super powerful, run amok and try to destroy the human race. Thomas Dietterich, president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and a distinguished professor of computer science at Oregon State University, said that the recent contribution of 10 million by Elon Musk to the Future of Life Institute will help support some important and needed efforts to ensure AI safety. But the real risks may not be as dramatic as some people visualize, he said. "For a long time the risks of artificial intelligence have mostly been discussed in a few small, academic circles, and now they are getting some long-overdue attention," Dietterich said. "That attention, and funding to support it, is a very important step."