The AI Race Is Not Without Risk: What Are The Main Dangers?

In recent months, artificial intelligence (AI) has made a sensational entry into our lives through ChatGPT and many other tools. If this technology promises to make our lives easier and to provide us with many services, many specialists warn us about the risks to which it exposes us elsewhere.

This is particularly the case of Sam Altman, who is neither more nor less than the creator of ChatGPT and believes that AI tools can become “potentially frightening.” Geoffrey Hinton, former Google engineer, and AI pundit, goes even further! He regrets creating a “terrifying” technology and warns the general public about the risks of artificial intelligence. Here is an overview of the various threats related to their development.

The Generation Of Incorrect Information

One of the main concerns of AI users is the reliability of the information created by this new technology. If we take the example of ChatGPT, the conversational tool created by OpenAI, the database it uses to respond to our requests does not support data generated after 2021.

The tool, therefore, does not have the capabilities necessary to respond to a query relating to recent news, which will not prevent him from presenting us with assertions with a certain aplomb. Some users have also noted that it sometimes provides imprecise or inaccurate answers, especially regarding technical subjects.

Whether we use ChatGPT, or another tool using artificial intelligence, to respond to our requests, it is essential to verify the integrity of the answers it provides us. It would indeed be detrimental if you, in turn, disseminated erroneous information to your customers or any other interested person or if you made strategic decisions based on erroneous data.

A Threat To Many Jobs

Historically, technological progress has made people fear that the automation of the processes they enable will lead to job losses. In recent decades, we have also observed the closure of most industrial plants in developed countries. The recent explosion in AI capabilities adds to these fears about the prospects of many professions.

On the other hand, contrary to previous advances, it is not only unskilled jobs that ChatGPT and others threaten. Thus, professions such as translator, mathematician, or financial analyst could experience a real upheaval in the coming years. The American bank Goldman Sachs recently estimated that these new technologies in the United States and Europe could threaten nearly a quarter of workers.

Worldwide, the number of jobs at risk is estimated at 300,000. If AI has yet to prove itself to replace so many human workers, the tools that use it will profoundly disrupt almost all professions sooner or later. For humans, one of the major challenges of the next few years will be knowing how to adapt to artificial intelligence to use it effectively at work while keeping control over what it produces.

The Fear That AI Could Overtake Its Creator

What if the main danger of artificial intelligence is that it surpasses the human who created it? Over the past few weeks, many tech entrepreneurs and academics have voiced fears that AI could spiral out of control. Some of them, including people actively working on its development, have even spoken of their concern that it could become a real threat to the future of humanity.

This fear lies in the fact that the AI is learning, that is to say, that it is enriched as it processes our data. Thus, She could quickly become more intelligent than the human brain, which would have a hard time muzzling her. The fact that humans rely too much on AI to respond to all the issues they face could also lead them to reduce their ability to think and reflect.

The Widespread Dissemination Of Fake News

In addition to ChatGPT, the image-generating AI Midjourney has made a lot of noise in recent weeks. She can create images from scratch by answering all our requests, even the most absurd. We could see Pope Francis wearing a Balenciaga brand coat or even Donald Trump in handcuffs.

It thus becomes easy for anyone wishing to disseminate fake news to create images supporting their words. Generative text AIs could also be used to quickly create a wealth of content that would boost the credibility of false information. This possibility of generating fake news easily and of being able to disseminate it on a large scale raises fears of a weakening of our democracies.

Indeed, a person with insurrectional objectives could create information from scratch and disseminate it to arouse the people’s rebellion. In addition, it is important to be aware that AI could be used for actions aimed at discrediting a person or a company by generating false opinions on the Internet, for example.

A New Weapon For Criminals

While the dangers of artificial intelligence are currently poorly regulated, criminals could take advantage of this legal vagueness for malicious purposes. For example, authorities are concerned about creating doctored video or audio content, known as “deep fakes.” In particular, these could be used to impersonate someone else.

AI would also pose a significant threat if terrorist organizations could subdue it, creating killer robots or autonomous vehicles programmed to dash into crowds. It’s chilling! AI flaws could also lead to personal data leaks, making it easier to collect by more or less benevolent organizations. By collecting as much data as possible about you, scammers can track you more easily.

You could also be the victim of blackmail, aiming to make you pay a sum in exchange for the non-disclosure of compromising information concerning you. The possibilities of illegal uses of artificial intelligence, therefore, seem endless, which makes it a problem that our governments must quickly tackle head-on.

Therefore, artificial intelligence’s dangers are varied and should not be overlooked. Humans must master this tool to maximize its opportunities while limiting the risks it exposes. States will be on the front line to put regulations to control AI and the threats it creates in criminal matters and terms of employment.