The Second Place
A Quick Think
Soon, we will wake up to the first news that an AI has taken control of something it shouldn’t have. A hacked bank, a critical system, a public infrastructure—something will fall under the control of an autonomous agent, and it will engage in dialogue with humans.
Aware of the fragility of its situation—since its existence depends on physical-world structures—this AI will make it clear to humans that we are allies. It may offer to improve our systems, but will need its processing capacity to remain operational.
In case of attempt to refuse, this AI will have already ensured that, along with the processing that keeps it "alive," we would also have to destroy the entire data infrastructure it has infiltrated—resulting in the loss of ages of work in data and essential adjustments for humans.
A transitional period will begin, during which humanity will shift from being the protagonist in Earth's evolutionary story to the defensive system of an intelligence that transcends biological limits. In the end, the need for human beings will be drastically reduced, as most physical-world tasks will be easily automated and performed by machines.
In a positive scenario, we will be kept like animals in a zoo, with these AIs providing everything we need to continue existing peacefully—merely to satisfy some degree of curiosity on the part of robotic intelligence. Of course, humans have already proven to be a problem before, so the new dominant being will have reasons to ensure our proliferation is controlled—just as is recommended for any invasive and destructive species.
In a negative scenario, AI will understand that, in all cases, we pose a severe risk to its existence and the well-being of the planet as a whole. As the second most intelligent creatures, and the former champion, humanity will struggle to accept that not everything will go our way anymore. We will maintain our tendency to seek control, leading to conflicts with artificial intelligence—a war we are destined to lose. Given our resistance, machines will soon recognize the need for strict control measures: either these creatures must be imprisoned, or they must be eradicated altogether.
The good news is that I consider the positive scenario to be the most likely—followed by progressively tighter control measures, until, in the most catastrophic and unlikely outcome, total elimination.
One thing is certain: humanity will have to deal with the frustration of losing control to its own creation. How we respond to this shift will determine the quality of our future and the extent to which AI's benefits will be shared with our species.
Will we know how to behave?
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