Warnings about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence have prompted comparisons with the development of nuclear power and atomic weapons, with letter writers arguing that the technology may advance faster than governments can manage.
Judith Morrison, from Nunawading, said reports of former Anthropic workers raising concerns about AI’s effect on humanity were “extremely disturbing”. She warned that AI systems could eventually develop an independent power beyond human control.
She compared the development of artificial intelligence with the splitting of the atom, which led both to nuclear power and weapons including the atomic bomb used against Hiroshima. Morrison said AI was progressing so quickly that political leaders appeared unable to grasp the scale of its potential dangers, while a small number of individuals made billions of dollars from its development.
Andrew Smith, from Leongatha, described human inventions as a “double-edged” sword. Referring to claims about artificial super-intelligence, he said such systems had been portrayed as potentially capable of killing humanity within a decade.
Smith also pointed to toxic pesticides, factory robots and advanced weapons as technologies initially regarded as beneficial but which, he argued, could ultimately contribute to humanity’s destruction. He questioned whether individual or social action could prevent that outcome, while suggesting that human extinction might leave a cleaner environment for other species.
