But isn't there a pretty big jump from that to "can destroy humanity"? Like say, a jump involving a society not run by the internet?
Because if an AI takes over the systems at a factory, it can't really do much beyond what the factory could already do. The production lines use single purpose robots and machines to build a particular product, and can't be programmatically altered to build anything else.
So, what exactly could a super intelligence even do with access? Only things I can picture are using it to try and hack another online system or speeding up/slowing down production rates.
Similarly, I hear a lot about these systems taking over weapons or releasing bio-engineered viruses or what not, and my first thought is "how?"
These systems are not accessible via the internet. There's no API endpoint that can launch nuclear weapons or set up a drone strike via a POST request.
To me, it feels like all these apocalyptic scenarios only make sense if a percentage of humanity gets manipulated by AI into doing its bidding, or if humanity suddenly invents easily hackable intelligent robots with an internet connection.
andsoitis•6h ago
China’s Massive Robot Army is Shocking the Entire World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXoNZwIMy8A
Or what about Boston Dynamics https://bostondynamics.com/products/atlas/
CM30•5h ago
But at the moment, a robot revolution/uprising using this sort of tech would be easy enough to put down in about 30 minutes. And they don't have the capabilities to provide a chain of logistics that would allow them to set up lots more factories or get more resources.
The logistics side of things is really the tough part. If Skynet hypothetically existed, it'd need the following to cause any damage:
- Locations to build factories that aren't already occupied by other people, companies or uses (or a way to demolish the latter) - The ability to construct such factories without the planning inspectors noticing, the neighbours noticing, the police or military shutting things down, etc. - Equipment to construct robots on an assembly line - Access to electricity, water and other resources - Raw materials used for the machines to build said robots. This usually involves either finding a third party supplier or thirty that would sign off on supplying it without asking too many questions, stealing it from someone else without them stopping you, etc - The ability to deploy said robots in a way that's effective for your goals and won't get them immediately shot down.
It could reuse existing factories if there were enough of them, but it'd need dozens or hundreds to cause any real issues.
Honestly, logistics are the problem with most apocalyptic scenarios like this. And for that matter, most stories with intelligent characters creating wonderous inventions in fiction.
Someone has to supply the materials, and the character or force has to be able to both afford them and not spark an investigation. They have to work with companies and contractors that might get suspicious about what's going on, and somehow stay on the down low while making an outsized impact on reality.
andsoitis•5h ago