The Future And Artificial Intelligence: A Reluctance to Recognize Elon Musk's Demon?

Earlier this month, the National Science and Technology Council released a report entitled: Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence. While it is promising that the Obama Administration recognizes the importance in beginning to seriously contemplate AI and its implications for human endeavors in the 21st century, the report seems intent on betting that the warnings advocated by Musk and others are not something worth worrying about today. In discussing the associated risks of potentially harmful AI, the report states: "The policies the Federal Government should adopt in the near-to-medium term if these fears are justified are almost exactly the same policies the Federal Government should adopt if they are not justified." The report goes on to assert that the best path forward is to focus on the "less extreme" near term risks inherent in AI development such as security and privacy. The issue with the government's stance here is not in its logic but rather in its assumption that the long-term concerns of AI really are long-term, seemingly declaring the alarm-sounding by industry experts as little more than science fiction overindulgence.