You’ve probably seen sci-fi movies like “I,Robot” where artificial intelligence (AI) attempts a hostile takeover of the human race. While there have been scares that AI could render millions jobless, one of the big questions on everyone’s mind is whether the technology could eventually surmount humans.
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has aired his views on the issue. According to him, highly advanced AI stands a significant chance of surmounting humans and assuming the role of the next dominant species on Earth if not properly regulated. But this will ultimately depend on the extent to which humans choose to intervene in AI advancements.
In a blog post dated November 27, Buterin who is recognized by certain quarters as a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency realm, argued that AI is distinct in its essence from other recent inventions like social media, contraception, airplanes, guns, the wheel, and the printing press. He asserted that AI has the potential to give rise to a new form of “mind” that could, in turn, act in opposition to human interests.
“AI is […] a new type of mind that is rapidly gaining in intelligence, and it stands a serious chance of overtaking humans’ mental faculties and becoming the new apex species on the planet.”
Buterin stated that, unlike challenges such as climate change, a human-engineered pandemic, or nuclear war, super-intelligent AI has the potential to bring about the complete extinction of humanity, leaving no survivors. This risk is particularly pronounced if the AI perceives humans as a threat to its own survival.
“One way in which AI gone wrong could make the world worse is (almost) the worst possible way: it could literally cause human extinction […] Even Mars may not be safe,” Buterin added.
Buterin referenced a survey conducted in August 2022, involving over 4,270 machine learning researchers, who estimated a 5–10% likelihood of AI causing harm to humanity. Nevertheless, even as Buterin emphasized the extremity of such claims, he also highlighted that there are avenues for humans to overcome these challenges.
He proposed the incorporation of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) as a means to empower humans with greater control over advanced forms of AI-driven computation and cognition.
A BCI serves as a conduit for communication between the brain’s electrical activity and an external device, such as a computer or robotic limb.
This integration would significantly shorten the two-way communication loop between humans and machines, reducing it from seconds to milliseconds. Crucially, according to Buterin, it would also guarantee that humans maintain a level of “meaningful agency” over their environment. He added that this approach would enhance safety, allowing humans to be actively engaged in every decision made by the AI machine.
“We [can] reduce the incentive to offload high-level planning responsibility to the AI itself, and thereby reduce the chance that the AI does something totally unaligned with humanity’s values on its own.”
The Ethereum co-founder also recommended incorporating “active human intention” to steer AI in a direction that serves the interests of humanity, emphasizing that prioritizing profit doesn’t necessarily guide humans toward the most favorable trajectory.
Buterin concluded that humans are the most brilliant entity in the universe, having continuously advanced technology to enhance human potential for thousands of years, with the hope of many more years of progress ahead.
