Good AI vs Evil AI: Where is AI Development Heading?
The stated or unstated goal of the most well-funded and resourceful artificial intelligence development labs, like OpenAI, DeepMind, and others, is to take this technology as far as possible, ultimately culminating in the creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI). When created, an AGI could perform all the cognitive functions of the human mind, at least in theory. It would have at least human-level intelligence if not orders of magnitude higher.
Although AI tech has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, especially since the debut of ChatGPT, it’s nowhere close to an AGI. Significant leaps in technology — in terms of infrastructure, understanding, reasoning, etc. — are likely required to attain such an advanced form of intelligence. So, the emergence of AGI is not all but inevitable at this point, and even if we do end up creating it, we’re likely years away from it.
Nevertheless, the debate around topics associated with the potential fallout from the emergence of superintelligence — artificial sentience, if you will — rages on. It could be short-term challenges like hallucinations, inequity, or biases — already a problem with current AI — or more extensive, long-term threats like the AI arms race, human extinction, etc.
This post will help you develop a more informed and educated opinion on AI development, where it’s headed, whether it’s good for us, and what we can do about it. Let’s unpack the good AGI vs evil AGI debate.
“My goal is to build broadly beneficial AGI. I also understand this sounds ridiculous.”
— Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT)
AI Will Augment Humans
According to Goldman Sachs, an estimated 300 million jobs will be replaced by AI globally in just a few years. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum was more upbeat about AI, stating that it could create 133 million jobs even if it kills 75 million. While the estimates vary greatly, one thing is clear: AI will disrupt work as we know it.
Venture capitalist Navin Chaddha believes that AI’s ability to perform cognitive tasks will drastically augment human workers instead of replacing them. According to him, AI will work as a teammate, assistant, coach, genie, or in other roles to accelerate productivity and amplify workers’ creativity, turning them into superhumans. This is clearly the pro-AI and pro-innovation mindset.
It’s not hard to see why Chaddha could be right. Human workers could engage AI in layered conversations and get them to perform repetitive, low-skilled, and simple tasks while focusing on jobs and tasks higher up the value chain. However, that would be true for the current generation of AIs like Chat GPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude, which many use. But, by definition, artificial general intelligence (AGI) would be able to do “everything that a human brain can.” So, when that becomes a reality, would the corporate world still need humans?
— Christina shares candid insights and ideas based on her work, network, and passion for innovation. As a frequent speaker by invitation to international events, from entrepreneurial and educational to executive audiences and settings, she has been recognized as a ‘Top B2B Influencer’ and ‘Who’s Who in Fintech’. She focuses on the latest product innovations and growth for people during the day while teaching students and mentoring entrepreneurs at night. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter/X. All views are my own. —
