Name: Can we build AI without losing control over it?
Uploaded: 2016-09-29T14:51:38Z
Duration: 14 min 18 s
Description: Scared of superintelligent AI? You should be, says neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris -- and not just in some theoretical way. We're going to build superhuman machines, says Harris, but we haven't yet grappled with the problems associated with creating something that may treat us the way we treat ants.

Sam Harris: Can we build AI without losing control over it?

Can we build AI without losing control over it?

Scared of superintelligent AI? You should be, says neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris -- and not just in some theoretical way. We're going to build superhuman machines, says Harris, but we haven't yet grappled with the problems associated with creating something that may treat us the way we treat ants.

Humanity stands on the brink of creating machines that may far surpass human intelligence. Even if superintelligent AI is designed without malice, a slight mismatch between its goals and ours could make us as vulnerable as ants underfoot. Electronic circuits already process information about a million times faster than human brains, setting the stage for a rapid intelligence explosion. Many fail to take this threat seriously, distracted by the novelty and promise of such powerful technology.