JOHAN STEYN: The exciting, but terrifying brave new world of artificial intelligence
To mitigate risks we must incentivise safety and human alignment in the use of generative AI platforms
It is becoming increasingly clear that we are heading towards a future in which the capabilities of the artificial intelligence (AI) systems we build and deploy at scale will make the collective intelligence of the human race largely irrelevant. We are standing on the verge of a societal transformation. Even though the precise timeline for this transformation is hard to pin down, many people believe it will happen during our lifetimes.
I am reminded of Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel, Brave New World. Undoubtedly the English writer and philosopher’s most influential work, it depicts a future society in which human beings are conditioned to conform to a rigid social hierarchy. The novel explores a range of themes, including individuality, freedom, and the role of technology in society. It suggests that human beings are inherently flawed and that attempts to create a utopian society through technology are ultimately doomed to fail. ..
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