While there are many theories about how AI might change our future, one particularly wild theory suggests we might be used as “human zoos” by superintelligent AI.
The theory, outlined in MIT professor Max Tegmark’s book ‘Life 3.0,’ involved surveys where the “human zoo” phenomenon was one most people were concerned about. According to the book, an advanced version of AI could use humans to study them and improve itself.
The reasons for this are believed to be the complexity that humans have, which can make them an interesting study for AI. While there are no recently reported events that show any signs of this happening in the near future, Tegmark’s survey shows that some people still fear the possibility. Additionally, governments across the world are attempting to regulate AI because of their impact on humans psychologically, as well as in terms of the jobs that the technology is set to affect.
Some other theories from the book also include utopian scenarios where AI brings more equality in society by giving access to powerful tools to a wide variety of people. However, here too, once the technology advances, the issues of gatekeeping will persist.
Aside from these theories, the book, written in 2017 explores how AI will lead to a global surveillance state where every phone call, interaction and transaction will be monitored by advanced systems. “Instead of pushing any one agenda or prediction, Tegmark seeks to cover as much ground as possible, reviewing a wide variety of scenarios concerning the impact of AI on the job market, warfare and political systems,” author Yuval Noah Harari wrote in his review of Tegmark’s book.
Max Tegmark is a prominent Swedish-American physicist and researcher at MIT. According to his profile on the university’s website, Tegmark’s research focuses on precision cosmology and he has authored “more than two hundred technical papers, and has featured in dozens of science documentaries.”
According to Tegmark, another possibility for AI’s future would be one where many attempt to reverse its effects by promoting the simpler life, things such as agriculture and dismantling of modern infrastructure. However, the book argues that another way the world could reach to a pre-technological age would be through a significant global event like a pandemic or natural disaster.
The dystopian nature of the possibilities often overshadows the few egalitarian outcomes that might occur. As unregulated AI grows, it is set to harm marginalized groups further and have effects on law, policy, our envionment and social lives while also being touted as a solution to level the playing field.
“While science fiction has caused many people to worry about evil robots, for instance, Tegmark rightly emphasises that the real problem is with the unforeseen consequences of developing highly competent AI,” Harari wrote.
