GoKawiilThe progress of artificial intelligence technologies in recent years is undeniable, and its pace is pretty much unbelievable. With at least four American contenders with frontier AI models, the competition is intense, and the development of new models is moving fast. Yet, Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, has called for slowing down the development of new AI models, even warning of a potential AI-powered botnet swarm that could take over the entire internet.
"Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it is my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage), and that the scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails," Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, wrote in an open letter.
Dario Amodei's vision is to a large degree shared by Evan Hubinger, an AI scientist who exited Anthropic recently, who then said there was a 10% chance humanity was set for extinction by the end of the decade. "We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans," Hubinger wrote in an X post. "I personally think it is >10% within the next decade. I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to."
Latest Videos From Tom's Hardware Watch full video here:
In universes created by James Cameron (Terminator) and Frank Herbert (Dune), AI is posed as a dangerous invention. But let us take a closer look. Further development of AI is moving from answering questions to autonomously performing complex multi-step tasks, something that previously required teams of skilled human specialists, which turns us to how adversaries use Anthropic's AI capabilities, lacking human resources.
Anthropic's own findings show that today's AI models can already assist with weapons engineering, military intelligence, surveillance, cyber operations, and other potentially destructive activities, while more capable successors could dramatically reduce the expertise, manpower, and time required to conduct them.
The findings echo two rather different warnings from science fiction: James Cameron's Terminator showed the consequences of losing control over autonomous military AI, whereas Frank Herbert’s Dune imagined humanity eventually outlawing AI after becoming dangerously dependent on them.
Meanwhile, greater capability does not automatically translate into greater danger. For example, more advanced AI technology can also have stronger safeguards, detect malicious activity, and automate work that so far has not been automated.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
Halting AI development could also be counterproductive if less responsible companies or countries continue advancing their models. In fact, leaving the most capable AI systems in the hands of actors that are known for military aggression is no less dangerous than leaving a monkey with a grenade.
... continue reading