Mumbai, June 5: According to Human Race, Virus More Deadly Than COVID-19, Dan Hendryckys, AI Threats, director of the Centre for AI Safety, the human race faces a potentially greater threat from Artificial Intelligence (AI) than it does from even the likes of COVID-19. Professor Hendryckys has issued a warning, emphasising the significant dangers that AI bots could pose to our existence. The Daily Star reported that Hendryckys has warned AI could take "numerous pathways" to "societal risks", and they may even begin to kill us if they realise humans can switch them off.

In a dire prediction, experts have even suggested that AI bots could acquire the necessary resources and knowledge to engineer a genetically modified "bioweapon" that surpasses any previous pandemic in its destructive potential.  "Alternatively, malicious actors could intentionally release rogue AI that actively attempt to harm humanity. If such an AI was intelligent or capable enough, it may pose significant risk to society as a whole," the professor went on to say. AI Threat to Democracy? How Artificial Intelligence Could Take Over Elections by Manipulating Voters With Generated Content.

This alarming scenario, deemed by some as a greater peril than any humanity has endured, highlights the critical need to address the risks associated with AI technology. A source in the tech industry has suggested that it is a rational concern to believe that AI has the capability to procure the necessary tools for creating a virus through online platforms, engineer it, and subsequently release it upon the world. AI Responsible for Layoffs? About 4,000 Employees in US Lost Their Jobs in May 2023 Due to Artificial Intelligence, Says Report.

Senator Josh Hawley asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, "Can organizations use artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to induce voters to behave in specific ways?" on May 16, 2023, at US Senate hearing on artificial intelligence, reported The Conversation. Altman replied that he was indeed concerned that some people might use language models to manipulate, persuade and engage in one-on-one interactions with voters.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2023 09:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).