The great AI revolution has already started, regardless of whether we want to believe it. And yes, we have yet to see general intelligence in machines. Yes, we still have the last say when making important decisions. But how long will it last? Alas, we have the natural tendency to trust machines. They don’t feel; they only think – and we know that emotions often make us as fallible and flawed as we are.

But are they? Are the machines as unbiased and fair as we think them to be?

We feed them information from databases we created, with information assets that are the grand narrative of our cognitive mistakes and biases. We allow them to learn not only from the censored versions of reality with carefully curated content but also roam the Internet just as it is, with all the violence, hatred, and stupidity it contains. And machines, as perfect as they are in creating and following algorithms, will, for a long time yet, be confined by their inability to understand the imperfection of their creators. So, they might mimic not only what’s best in us but also the most nightmarish treats of humanity.

And we give them more and more power over ourselves and the faith of humanity. They think more efficiently and faster than us, so why wouldn’t we? But can you imagine a world in which it’s the machine assesses the intentions of another human being? Can you imagine a world in which the machine decides whether we are being attacked and chooses to respond? To respond with enough power that a retaliatory strike of its perceived enemy will no longer be even a potential threat.

Think of the 1983 movie “WarGames” and consider: will the machines stop and ask human’s opinion before that attack? Or will they try to save us from ourselves, even against our will? The answer to those questions will depend on how careful we are writing their algorithms – and how aware of any pitfalls those algorithms are supposed to guard us against. And we are neither cautious nor mindful enough.

Dr Paulina Piasecka, Collegium Civitas International Relations Department, Paulina.Piasecka@civitas.edu.pl, https://twitter.com/P_Piasecka

3.04.2023