Expert: George Moustris - 3/19/2006

Question
Is it conceivable that the creation of an artificial intelligence could end up in disaster for humankind, as seen in books and movies, or is that just a crazy idea?  

Answer
Hi Ray,

i can't give you a definite answer. It depends. If we ever achieve to build a "conscious" artificial entity, and furthermore, if that entity has a self preservation goal (or instinct), then it might me possibly that it could turn against its human creators. On the other hand, self-preservation is something that all biological entities have. It is not necessary that an artificial entity will also have it. Of course, if the technology gets even more complex, then it would be virtually impossible to control the "nature" of the artificial entity. What i mean by this is that today's AI systems exhibit properties that weren't originally meant to  have. This is known as "emergence". We don't know a priori the emergent properties of a very complex system. So, it is possible that a conscious AI entity might exhibit a self-preservation instinct as well. If such a thing happens, then you can conceive circumstances that the entity might turn against humans in order to "live".
Of course, all the above are pure speculation. We hust have to wait and see.

Best
G.