To the editor: I welcome objections to information facilities due to their prices to the surroundings and communities (“America’s lead in AI is now at the mercy of local zoning boards,” June 7). However the dialogue must be far broader: How ought to AI be applied with most profit to society and never simply the builders?
Humanity already faces a number of existential challenges, together with local weather change, species extinction and nuclear armament; none of those is getting the priority and degree of response it deserves. Now, the rise of AI is including one other problem.
The masters of Silicon Valley casually inform us to anticipate the lack of hundreds of jobs to AI, with little concern in regards to the ensuing disruption. Academics report that college students more and more use ChatGPT as a substitute of their brains; what’s the level of laboriously studying to do one thing when it may be achieved extra shortly and infrequently higher by a machine?
Lastly, many experts warn that the race for super-intelligent AI is fraught with hazard; that these creations (together with humanoid robots) might effectively outperform us in nearly all the pieces. What might presumably go fallacious?
If human civilization counts for something, this race between China and the U.S. must be restrained. Wise folks have to be allowed to work out a rational strategy by which the helpful makes use of of AI are promoted and competitors for revenue and worldwide rivalry are checked.
Grace Bertalot, Anaheim
