Knowledge, Wisdom, and Artificial Intelligence
Who Is Building Our Brainiac?
By Mark Harris
The future of AI is uncertain. What is certain is that it needs to work for us. In the first episode of Superman: The Animated Series, we are shown an example of what we don’t want to happen with AI. Brainiac, the global supercomputer that informs the government of Krypton on its decision-making is shown to be deceiving the entire planet about their imminent doom. It claims that if it had warned everyone, they still would not have been able to prevent the planet’s destruction, and they would have taken valuable resources from its ability to escape the planet. Quite literally, the AI prioritized itself over the survival of its creators. This is perhaps a hyperbolic example, as our planet is not soon to break up, nor can AI roll government officials yet. However, the example shows how trusting a system built with the intention of helping everyone can be corrupted by its interpretation of what help for everyone is.
Our current AI systems fall short of the general AI capabilities showcased by Brainiac in the late ’90s cartoon classic. That being said, many rich and powerful men around the world are working feverishly to create a general AI. However, just like the more specific AIs, general AI technologies will be strongly reflective of their creators and the directives their creators choose to place within them. The men leading this charge are not exactly paragons of wisdom or caution, raising concerns about who we are letting build our Brainiac equivalent.
Keep Cool and Think It Out
The Editors
Citizens Digest Staff
- Ruth McLatchie, Editor-in-Chief, Written Media
- Mike Gonzalez, Technical Editor, Writer
- Donald Wiggins, Chief Legal and Organizational Officer
- Daniel DeLuca, Chief Financial Officer
- Mark Harris, Operations Manager and Podcast Coordinator
- Elizabeth Frost, Circulation and Volunteer Manager
- Alicia Meckstroth, Contributor
If you want to subscribe, please send your name, email address, and county and state of residence to [email protected]