Are the Threats from AI Real?

Artificial intelligence and robotics will transform the world. It will bring unimaginable changes to our economy, our politics, warfare, foreign policy, our emotional well-being, our environment, and how we educate and raise our children. Further unbelievable but true. There is a very real fear that in the not tooistant future a super intelligent AI could replace human beings in controlling the planet. That's not science fiction. That is a real fear that very knowledgeable people have. 

Despite the extraordinarily extraordinary importance of this issue and the speed at which it is progressing, AI is getting far too little discussion in Congress, the media, and within the general population. And that has got to change now. Several months ago, as the ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I undertook an investigation regarding the monumental challenges that we face with the rapid development of artificial intelligence. And very recently, I held a public discussion at Georgetown University with Nobel Prize winner Dr. Jeffrey Hinton considered to be the godfather of AI, the guy who really brought this uh subject to the place that it is now to get his views on a wide range of AI related subjects. Based on our investigation and other information that we are gathering, my staff and I will soon be presenting a very specific set of recommendations to Congress as to how we can begin addressing some of the unprecedented threats that AI poses.

Here are just some of the outstanding questions that we intend to answer in our report. First and maybe most importantly, who should be in charge of the transformation into an AI world?

Currently, a handful of the very wealthiest people on Earth, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Teal, and others are investing many, many hundreds of billions of dollars in developing and implementing AI and robotics. Are we comfortable with seeing these enormously powerful men, handful of people, shape the future of humanity without any democratic input or oversight? Is the goal of the AI revolution simply to make the very very richest people on Earth even richer and even more powerful? or will this revolutionary technology be utilized to benefit all of humanity? That is the question. Who benefits from this incredible transformation of society? Why does Donald Trump, who is strongly supporting these big tech oligarchs, want to impose an executive order blocking states from regulating AI? Why does Peter Teal, the billionaire investor and co-founder of Palunteer, call those who want regulations over AI quote, legionnaires of the Antichrist, end quote? Does this elite group of multi-billionaire big tech guys really believe that they have the divine right to rule? Are we going back to the 19th century where you had in those days kings and monarchs saying God gave them the right to rule? Is that what these guys are saying today? How far will they go to resist government regulation? 

So that's one huge issue that we've got to get deeply involved in. Further, what impact will AI and robotics have on our economy and the lives of working people? The report that I released last month found that AI, automation, and robotics could replace nearly 100 million jobs in America over the next decade, including 40% of registered nurses, 47% of truck drivers, 64% of accountants, 65% of teaching assistants, and 89% of fast food workers, among many other occupations that will hit hard by AI and robotics.

Now, Elon Musk recently said that quote, "AI and robots will replace all jobs. Working will be optional." End quote. Bill Gates predicted that humans quote won't be needed for much for most things end quote. Dario Amodi, the CEO of Anthropic, warned that AI could lead to the loss of half of all entry-level white collar jobs. If AI and robotics eliminate millions of jobs and create massive unemployment, how will people survive if they have no income? How do they feed their families or pay for housing or healthcare? Is government doing anything now to prepare for this potential economic disaster? Further, what impact will AI have on our democracy? 

At a time when the foundations of democracy are under attack here in the United States and throughout the world, will AI and robotics help make us become a freer, more democratic society, or will it give even more power to the oligarchs who control the technology? Will a AI result in a massive invasion of our privacy and our civil liberties?

Larry Ellison, the second richest person on earth, predicted an AI powered surveillance state where, quote, "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on." End of quote. This is the second wealthiest guy on earth investing hundreds of billions in AI. Are we reaching the stage where every phone call that we make, every email and text that we send, every bit of research we do on the internet will be available to the owners of AI?

And if that is the case, how do we sustain a democracy under those conditions? How do we protect our privacy? Further, could AI literally redefine, and this is almost crazy stuff, very unimaginable, but could AI literally redefine what it means to be a human being? Who we are and how we develop emotionally and intellectually is highly dependent upon our relationships with other human beings, our parents, of course, our family, teachers, lovers, friends, and co-workers. 

To quote the 17th century poet John Dunn, you all remember this poem. Quote, "No man is an island unto himself." End quote. The human beings with whom we interact help shape us to become for better or for worse the people we are. But AI is in the process of changing that. According to a recent poll by Common Sense Media, 72% of US teenagers say they have used AI for companionship and more than half of them do so regularly. What does it mean? I want you to think about this. What does it mean for young people to form friendships with AI and become increasingly isolated from other human beings, spend enormous amount of time on their screens talking to AI characters? 

What happens when millions around the world seek emotional support from a machine? What is the long-term impact upon our humanity when our most important relationships are not with other human beings? Further, what impact is AI having on our environment? AI data centers require a massive huge amount of electricity and water. A relatively small AI data center can consume more electricity than 80,000 homes. A large one like the 165 billion data center that Open AI and Oracle are building in Abalene, Texas will use as much electricity as 750,000 homes, one data center. Meta is building a data center in Louisiana the size of Manhattan that will use as much electricity as 1,200,000 homes. 

In community after community, Americans are fighting back against data centers being built by some of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world. They are opposing the destruction of their local environment, soaring electric bills, and the diversion of scarce water supplies. Nationally, how will continued construction of AI data centers impact our environment? Further, how will AI and robotics impact foreign policy and warfare? Well, maybe you haven't thought about that. But the reality is that sadly, tragically, in the midst of the 21st century, governments have not yet created a mechanism for solving international or internal disputes without armed conflict. We are seeing terrible wars taking place right now.

Nonetheless, government leaders are often hesitant about going to war because of their fear of public reaction to the loss of life. No politician wants to go before his or her people and say, "Oh, sorry. We've lost thousands of dollars of young men and women." But what happens when you have robots replacing human beings in the act of warfare? You have robot armies. What does the future look like if millions of robot soldiers replace human beings? 

Will leaders be more likely to engage in war or threaten military action if they don't have to worry about loss of life? Will there be literally an arms race in robots? So you can see country fighting country not with their own human beings, not with their own soldiers, but with robots. And if you don't have to worry about losing robots as opposed to losing human beings, how will this shape foreign policies around the world? It's a big issue. Doesn't get a lot of discussion. 

Further, and needless to say, of some consequence, is AI an existential threat to human control over the planet? Now, some of us remember the scene, and I know there've been a different movies making the same point, but some of us remember that scene in that great 1968 science fiction film 2001, A Space Odyssey, in which HAL, the super intelligent computer that controlled the spaceship, rebelss against its human masters. Today, is AI makes rapid progress. Dr. Jeff Jeffrey Hinton recently told me that it was only a matter of time before AI becomes smarter than human beings. 

Now, what's the impact of that? Does that raise the possibility that humans will actually lose their ability to control the planet? And if that becomes a possibility, how do how do we stop that extraordinary threat? And let me just tell you these are just some underlying sum of the questions that must be answered as AI and robotics rapidly progress. Remember these guys have spent hundreds and hundreds of billions. There are breakthroughs almost every day. 

AI and robotics are revolutionary technologies that will bring about an unprecedented transformation of society. Will these changes be positive and improve life for ordinary Americans or will they be disastrous? In my view, Congress must act now. We've got to start answering these questions and other questions. We need to have a national discussion. This is a huge issue and maybe the people on top, the billionaires who control the technology want us to ignore it. But for the future of our world, our kids, the environment, etc., this is an issue that cannot be ignored. So, we're going to work together. Look forward to hearing from you about this issue. But let's go forward in attempting to answer some of these questions.

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