AI is trying to save itself, experts say we should be prepared to pull the plug
Artificial intelligence (AI) is demonstrating self-preservation tendencies. Critics warn that humans shouldn’t grant legal rights to AI and should be prepared to pull the plug if necessary.
As AI continues to develop, concerns surrounding its capabilities persist as the technology becomes increasingly advanced.
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio has criticized the movement to grant AI legal rights, citing that the technology is beginning to disable oversight systems in an effort to preserve itself.
Giving legal status to this technology would be comparable to giving citizenship to aliens, Bengio said.
“Imagine some alien species came to the planet and at some point we realise that they have nefarious intentions for us. Do we grant them citizenship and rights, or do we defend our lives?” Bengio told The Guardian.
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This is because AI technology is advancing at a rapid rate, potentially faster than humans can control.
The idea that AI will take over has been a recurring theme in conversations about the rapidly evolving technology.
While it might seem far-fetched, Bengio seems to believe that giving AI rights would be a “huge mistake” and that “giving them rights would mean we’re not allowed to shut them down,” The Guardian reports.
If AI continues to evolve at the current rate, it could potentially evade human-implemented guardrails and harm the humans who created it, critics warn.
Bengio seems to suggest that we need to rely on “technical and societal guardrails” to control AI and pull the plug if needed.
Companies are already implementing kill switches that allow users to take control of their AI use.
Tech company Mozilla recently confirmed that Firefox users will soon be able to completely disable all AI features within the browser.
However, some people believe that AI should be granted rights, with The Guardian citing a report that shows that nearly four in ten US adults back the idea that AI should have legal status.
Jacy Reese Anthis, co-founder of the Sentience Institute, responded to Bengio’s concerns, stating that humans couldn’t peacefully co-exist with AI if the relationship between the two is a power struggle.
“We could over-attribute, or under-attribute rights to AI, and our goal should be to do so with careful consideration of the welfare of all sentient beings. Neither blanket rights for all AI nor complete denial of rights to any AI will be a healthy approach,” Anthis said.
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