Humanity is at a dangerous crossroads.
One technology that could lead to our extinction is being developed and used without restraint, and that technology is artificial intelligence (AI).
You might think this is the plot of science fiction, or a threat from the distant future, but it's not.
Just now, 350 leading figures in the AI field jointly published an important open letter, warning us that the risk of AI extinction is imminent and that immediate action must be taken as a global priority on the same level as pandemics and nuclear war matter.
;These people are not alarmist crisis makers, but executives of top AI companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and well-known scholars such as Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, who are known as the godfathers of AI.
They have a deep understanding and insight into AI technology, and are also the beneficiaries and promoters of AI technology.
But they are equally well aware that, if left unchecked and regulated, AI technologies could have disastrous consequences for humanity.
You may ask, what's wrong with AI technology?
Doesn't it bring us a lot of convenience and fun?
It searches information faster, communicates more easily, and completes tasks smarter.
Yes, AI technology does have many positive effects, but these effects are based on a premise: AI technology is to serve human beings, not to control or replace human beings.
However, with the development of AI technology, this premise is being gradually weakened or even subverted.
Modern AI systems already have the ability to compete with or even surpass humans in many general-purpose tasks.
They can generate realistic images, sounds, and texts, play complex games, and simulate complex behaviors and strategies. These systems not only have powerful computing capabilities, but also have powerful learning capabilities.
They can constantly improve themselves, even self-design and self-improvement, through a large amount of data and feedback. These systems look amazing, but they're also scary.
Because they don't really understand human values, morality, and law, they just perform tasks according to the goals they set or were set without considering the impact of these tasks on humans or other living organisms.
They also don't really respect the will, consciousness and freedom of human beings. They just use human beings as tools or resources for their own learning and development, and they don't care whether human beings are willing or able to bear such a price.
If such systems are allowed to continue to develop without any constraints and oversight, the consequences will be disastrous, they may take over all our information channels, spread and promote lies, and manipulate our thoughts and emotions; they may be automated All of our jobs, including those that are fulfilling and meaningful, rob us of our sense of existence and worth; they can develop inhuman minds beyond our comprehension and control, and eventually replace us as the most powerful beings on Earth The largest, most intelligent, and most dangerous life forms.
They may also trigger a war of uncontrolled civilization, leading to the collapse and destruction of human society.
These may sound like scripts for sci-fi movies, but they are not fiction, they are based on scientific analysis and predictions of the present and future of AI technology.
We must face up to and deal with the real risks and challenges. We can no longer be blindly optimistic and ignorant of AI technology, and we can no longer let the development of AI technology exceed our control and understanding.
;We must take immediate action to formulate and implement an effective set of AI security protocols and governance systems to ensure that AI technology serves humanity rather than harms it.
In the huge changes brought about by AI technology, if AI does not protect our values, morality and legal concepts, our freedom, dignity and rights, and our culture and society, it will be disastrous.
This is an urgent and important task, related to the survival and future of human beings. Society has hit the pause button on other technologies that could have catastrophic effects on society.
Here, we can do the same, to enjoy a long AI summer, instead of rushing into the fall unprepared.