Concerns about the potential eradication of humanity by artificial intelligence have sparked the emergence of organizations such as Pause AI. According to experts, these apprehensions are not entirely unfounded.
Apprehensions about the possibility of artificial intelligence wiping out humanity have led to the proliferation of groups like Pause AI. Experts affirm that these concerns hold some validity. During his initial conversation, Joep Meindertsma appears visibly distraught. He becomes emotional as he recounts an incident where he cautioned his niece about the risks associated with artificial intelligence leading to the collapse of society, which subsequently triggered a panic attack in her.
“I find myself crying every other day,” he confesses, speaking to me over a Zoom call from his residence in Utrecht, Netherlands. “Whenever I bid farewell to my parents or friends, it feels like it might be the last time.”
Meindertsma, a 31-year-old co-owner of a database company, has been captivated by the realm of AI for a few years now. However, his concerns regarding the potential threat this technology poses to humanity intensified when Open AI unveiled their latest language model, GPT-4, in March.
Since then, he has witnessed the immense success of the ChatGPT chatbot—originally based on GPT-3 and later on GPT-4—illustrating the remarkable advancements AI has made, while prominent tech companies scramble to keep up.
Additionally, he has observed influential figures like Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “godfather of AI,” cautioning against the perils associated with the very systems they played a role in developing. Meindertsma expresses, “The capabilities of AI are progressing at a much faster pace than anyone could have predicted. We are risking the collapse of society. We are endangering our own existence.”
