I think the comparison with nuclear tech is missing one crucial aspect: ease of access. Nuclear tech has been misused, and a sufficiently funded and motivated malicious actor could get their hands on it in some way to cause harm, but it is, for the most part, out of reach.
AI, on the other hand, is already being used by every hustler looking to make a quick buck, by students who can't be bothered to write a paper, by teachers who can't be bothered to read and grade papers, by every company who can get it to avoid paying actual people do to certain jobs... Personally, my problem is not with AI tech in itself, it's with how easy it is to get your hands on it and make literally anything you fancy with it. This is what a lot of the "AI for everything" crowd can't seem to grasp.
"Personally, my problem is not with AI tech in itself, it's with how easy it is to get your hands on it and make literally anything you fancy with it. This is what a lot of the "AI for everything" crowd can't seem to grasp."
It's easy look at negatives of a technology to ignore its positives. Especially one like AI technology.
Great point. Though the issue still lies in human intent, not technology.
Shaking up traditional education methods, like paper writing and grading, can lead to more efficient learning and free time, as demonstrated by MOOCs and online universities. Exponentially growing online spam and disinformation might make it more obvious to people and recenter us as humanity to more credible information sources. We might need to adjust tax laws for companies that employ AI, but it could have positive effects. I think it's too early to catastrophize, even if I am sure the technology will be used with malicious intent by some.
AI, on the other hand, is already being used by every hustler looking to make a quick buck, by students who can't be bothered to write a paper, by teachers who can't be bothered to read and grade papers, by every company who can get it to avoid paying actual people do to certain jobs... Personally, my problem is not with AI tech in itself, it's with how easy it is to get your hands on it and make literally anything you fancy with it. This is what a lot of the "AI for everything" crowd can't seem to grasp.