HUMAN BEINGS ARE terrible at foresight—especially apocalyptic foresight. The track record of previous doomsayers is worth recalling as we contemplate warnings from critics of artificial intelligence (A.I.) research.
“The human race may well become extinct before the end of the century,” philosopher Bertrand Russell told Playboy in 1963, referring to the prospect of nuclear war. “Speaking as a mathematician, I should say the odds are about three to one against survival.”
Five years later, biologist Paul Ehrlich predicted
