“I’m known for predicting that later this century there will be a terrible war, killing billions of people over the issue of species dominance.”
From a philosophical perspective, the concept of AI ending humanity challenges our assumptions about evolution, survival, and the nature of progress. Throughout history, humans have viewed themselves as top of the food chain, but advanced AI raises the possibility that we are merely a stepping stone.
Some experts, like today’s returning guest, propose that the creation of superintelligent “artilects” (artificial intellects) might represent the next logical step in intelligence, science, and exploration – something potentially more fitting to inherit the future than humanity itself.
As unsettling as this may seem, the conversation is becoming more pertinent by the day, as artificial intelligence continues to take up more and more bandwidth. The world is changing and according to today’s guest we must start having these conversations now, before it’s too late.
Professor Hugo de Garis makes his welcome return to London Real HQ, a guest who’s last appearance caused more than a stir and certainly proved to be resoundingly popular despite the doomsday forecast.
Hugo was one of the earliest in his field to sound the alarm bells and has long since argued that the coming years will be overshadowed and overwhelmed by the issue of “species dominance“. The question is, will that dominant species be man or machine?
Guess what? You’re not going to like the answer.
Hugo is an expert in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence, a distinguished author, and now retired researcher, who is best known for his work on the development of artificial brains and his advocacy for the creation of artilects – that is, machines capable of intellectual achievement that rival or surpass human beings.
Hugo has published well over 100 academic papers on a range of topics related to the emergence of AI and robotics and the potential implications of these technologies on society.
Throughout his career, he has held various positions at some of the biggest technology companies on the planet, while also offering his expertise as a consultant to the United Nations and the US Navy.
He is a man that really knows his stuff and has been involved at all levels in the advancement of AI, in particular during the groundbreaking period at the turn of the century. Hugo’s work focussed on evolvable hardware and artificial brains, which involved creating computer programs that simulate the cognitive processes of the human brain.
Hugo believes that these machines could one day become the dominant species on Earth and that we must prepare for this possibility. Hugo wrote an incredible book, addressing this “inevitability” – “The Artilect War: Cosmists vs. Terrans: A Bitter Controversy Concerning Whether Humanity Should Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines”.
As technology grows exponentially and AI becomes increasingly developed, two polarised ideologies will form – Cosmists and Terrans – that will stand on a collision course toward global conflict over the future of superintelligent AI.
The Cosmists will advocate for the creation of these superintelligent entities, while the Terrans, will view this endeavour as a deadly threat, fearing that these machines could eventually lead to human extinction and the destruction of Earth-based life. Hugo envisions this hostility escalating into a potentially unavoidable war to the death, where billions of lives will be lost.
“I expect to see the “Species Dominance Debate” raging well before I die. A lot is at stake, namely the survival of the human species.”
The crucial political question of course is should humanity chase the dream of creating super intelligent beings? Maybe it’s already too late, and as more and more researchers and experts call for a “pause”, perhaps the genie is already out of the bottle
These are huge conversations that will directly impact every one of us. This is a critical time for our species, and trust me, you don’t want to miss this one as all questions will be answered.
Hugo’s insights and knowledge of the field are second to none and the ideas he brings to the table are truly mind-blowing, if also more than a little daunting. Hugo is a passionate intellectual and academic who studies and writes on a broad range of topics, including globalism and the prospect of a one world state, and his work in the field of masculism and the liberation of men from more traditional roles.
Make sure you tune in, it is only through having these conversations and sharing information as widely as possible that we can find solutions and create change. We all need to be more focussed on the bigger picture and ask the big questions, otherwise we might just wake up one day and realise it’s too late.
“I am very worried that in the second half of [the] century, the consequences of the kind of work that I [did] may have such a negative impact upon humanity that I truly fear for the future.”
