The Godfather Of Virtual Reality Says Concerns About AI Taking Over The World Is The Stuff Of Sci-Fi Movies Like 'The Matrix'

In a world inundated with doomsday predictions about artificial intelligence, or AI, the godfather of virtual reality, Jaron Lanier, weighs in on the growing concerns about chatbots. 

What Happened: While many people are worried about AI outsmarting humans and taking over the world, Lanier thinks that something like that only happens in science fiction movies like “The Matrix and Terminator”, reported The Guardian. 

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“This idea of (AI) surpassing human ability is silly because it’s made of human abilities,” he said, adding, “It’s like saying a car can go faster than a human runner. Of course, it can, and yet we don’t say that the car has become a better runner.”

Despite advocating against fearmongering, Lanier cautions against becoming too comfortable with the current state of AI, as there are still valid concerns to be addressed. This includes the risk of human extinction due to AI abuse, the report noted. 

Lanier argues that the real risk doesn’t lie in the hypothetical scenario of an alien entity taking over and destroying humanity. Instead, human’s increasing reliance on technology could lead to mutual unintelligibility or insanity, ultimately causing their demise due to a lack of self-interest and understanding. 

Why It’s Important: Since OpenAI released chatGPT for testing, debates about AI being the future and posing a threat to the human workforce have escalated.

On the one hand, this emerging AI technology has ignited a battle among tech giants like Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL and Microsoft Corporation MSFT, but on the other side, it is making people uneasy. 

At the same time, tech icons like Bill Gates believe that chatGPT, OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot, is as big an invention as the internet. 

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