Not too long ago there were some news stories hyping up the likelihood of artificially intelligent robots developing the ability to kill humans within the next decade. Several CEOs and others have discussed this over the years and of course it has been the subject of MANY films….some good ones, and some B-rate ones whose actors who found the robots really did kill…their careers anyway.
I will argue that the killer robots are already here and already doing their dirty work. Not in the spectacular laser wielding Terminator style creatures that blast everything in sight and march across human skulls. Not even the drones identifying targets and dropping bombs upon them. And no, not even HAL shutting off life support systems on his sleeping crewmates in the spacecraft. No. Much more subtle than all that. Subtle and perhaps not even intentional. But potentially every bit as deadly.
All anecdotal of course, but hard to dismiss once you see it…
How many times have you been discussing something with another person and then received an email or a facebook ad for whatever the product subject was? It happens. I know, coincidence. Sure. Maybe. But it happens a lot. Is that smartphone in your pocket listening for keywords and then sending you these ads? There is certainly no technical reason why it is not possible. Marketers must love this. Anything to help separate you from what little money you have. It’s the “American way.” :/ So what? …just advertisements, and while annoying or even obnoxious, ads by themselves are not going to kill you. True. But could it go beyond this? Most technologists would answer, “Yes” without hesitation.
What about the AI behind the social media algorithms? Could those be killing you? Very likely, I think. Again…subtly. These things filter what you see. They look for keywords, photos, and other information about you and then classify you. This data–which you and I happily hand over voluntarily, is then used in a variety of ways that are often described as “tailoring your experience” or “enhancing” your enjoyment of the platform. (it is, afterall, important that you stay logged on and engaged–otherwise they lose money) In the process of this, the news and information fed your way is also filtered. The so-called “bubble effect” where people begin to believe that their views on a matter are the correct and/or popular viewpoints and that anyone having an opposing view is wrong, crazy, or stupid. Any cursory browse through internet political discussions on any subject will confirm this. Again, not deadly in and unto itself. It is also easily combatted by actively seeking out other information. (but most don’t) And, I do not believe that any evil genius woke up one day and said to themselves that they wanted to do this purposefully as a means to gain control or create chaos. (yeah, that movie’s been done too)
If you are not convinced that those algorithms are doing this, go change some of your profile settings, or how you respond to certain types of posts, or just create a whole new profile. Then watch the changes take shape in your news feed. The system learns “YOU” and then tries to feed you what it believes you want……even if it may not be for your own good.
The polarized views, combined with the wall of anonymity offered by online activities, leads people to behave in manners they would (hopefully) never do in person. Again, read some of the comments people will make in an online forum when they disagree. If some weren’t already eating Tide Pods I would suggest that they wash their mouths out with soap. In most instances, these people will never meet or directly interact outside of the flow of electrons conveying bits of (dis)information. But it still creates a problem that could one day kill us en-masse.
The shaping of views in this fashion makes it harder for people to cooperate when it matters, especially when the crisis is not overtly visible. Take a look at the dysfunction that pervades our governmental processes at every level. Failing to work together on the important stuff can have devastating consequences at a later date. Wars. Economic failures. Environmental disasters. ….etc. We’ve seen some of this on small scales over the years, but with the technology we can increase the efficiency and reach of all sorts of things–including our mistakes. Is that the robot’s fault? No….the robot is just a tool and it is up to us to determine how we shall use it or respond to the information provided by it.
The rule of the robots will not sweep over the earth like a marauding army of Terminators shooting at us, but make no mistake, robots that are capable of leading us to our demise by getting us to do ourselves in already exist….and you can interact with them by way of the phone in your pocket. Now play nice.