"Artificial Intelligence is dangerous"

Edward Tsang 2017.08.25 (minor changes 2018.04.21)

Knowledge is dangerous.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is knowledge.
Therefore, AI is dangerous.

"Artificial Intelligence (AI) is dangerous"

“AI is vastly more risky than North Korea”, claimed Elon Musk after OpenAI (which he backed) beat the best human players in online DotA 2 championship. This statement is sound, but it is more suitable for headline grabbing than balanced thinking.

Fire is dangerous

When our ancestors first attempted to use fire, some prophets might have warned: "fire will kill people and destroy many homes." How very true!

Metals are dangerous

When our ancestors first discovered how to use iron, then other metals, some prophets might have warned: "Metals are dangerous. They will take many lives!" They were absolutely right! Metals have been used to kill millions and millions of people. They kill more people by the day.

Car are dangerous

In USA alone, "in 2014, 32,675 people were killed in 29,989 crashes, an average of 96 per day", according to Wikipedia.

Knowledge is dangerous

Knowledge can be used to improve life. Knowledge can also be used to kill. Artificial intelligence is no different.

[End]

Related: