Are we ready to hand AI agents the keys?

The flash crash is probably the most well-known example of the dangers raised by agents--automated systems that have the power to take actions in the real world, without human oversight. That power is the source of their value; the agents that supercharged the flash crash, for example, could trade far faster than any human. But it's also why they can cause so much mischief. "The great paradox of agents is that the very thing that makes them useful--that they're able to accomplish a range of tasks--involves giving away control," says Iason Gabriel, a senior staff research scientist at Google DeepMind who focuses on AI ethics. "If we continue on the current path … we are basically playing Russian roulette with humanity." Agents are already everywhere--and have been for many decades.