But the problems begin well before we lose control of AI. Hinton’s two more immediate concerns come from our own hand. First,he fears we’re about to flood ourselves with misinformation thanks to torrents of fake images,videos and text,leaving behind a world in which normal people will “not be able to know what’s true anymore”. Recall those fake images ofDonald Trump being arrested and Vladimir Putin being jailed,which recently circulated online.
This week,Amnesty International came under fire for using AI-generated images to illustrate human rights abuses in Colombia,even though it has access to real images. The fake ones were labelled as such,but the criticism persists because it establishes fake images as a standard means of political engagement,with the overall effect of undermining true reporting and pushing us further towards a culture of perpetual cynicism.
Secondly,Hinton fears that AI will wreak havoc on the job market,as masses of human workers are simply displaced. The automation revolution that came for so many in sectors like manufacturing,will come for just about everyone else,too. We’ve already seen AI provide counselling,produce a Drake song,and help a Colombian judge determine his decision in a case. We’re well past the point of thinking it will simply relieve us of drudgery.
And we’re well past the point of this moderating or slowing down. Perhaps Hinton’s most interesting observation is that the profit motive is about to accelerate this even further. He felt Google was careful about what it released into the world until last year,when Microsoft introduced a chatbot into its search engine. Now,the handbrake is off,as these companies race for AI supremacy. Naturally,with that comes greater risk. A risk in which Hinton could apparently no longer be complicit.
If we want to realise AI’s potential benefits,but manage these risks,it takes co-ordinated,global regulation. But it’s hard to imagine this race won’t move far quicker than any such regulation can. Precisely which problems requiring global regulation have we shown a capacity to solve? International tax avoidance through tax havens? Illegal immigration? The refugee crisis? Climate change?