How the bad science of AI doomerism is good for big business

There is no clear path showing that today’s AI systems will lead to superintelligence, much less a basis for calculating the probability of doom.

The power attributed to superintelligence has led some in these communities to describe advanced AI in God-like terms. […] “They believe in the advent of an almighty powerful AI god, which will either lead to destruction of humanity or help us achieve utopia,” says Boyan Milanov, Senior Research Scientist at AI Now Institute.

“What we have to keep in mind is that all this doomerism isn’t based on any scientific work,” says Milanov. “It really is science fiction. None of the claims are scientifically verifiable or falsifiable.”

The heads of major AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI each indicate that their organizations are the only ones who can build these systems responsibly with the proper guardrails that they themselves will decide on. […] The approach amounts to self-regulation with companies setting their own standards and processes, instead of being audited by independent parties who work in the interest of the public, according to Milanov. “If you read between the lines, everything he advocates [for] is something that would help companies like Anthropic,” he says.

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