If we can't put the AI genie back in the bottle, how do we make it safe? Dr. David Brin explorers the ethical, legal and safety implications of artificial intelligence & autonomous systems.

The last couple of years has introduced us to LLM's such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Apple AI, Meta.AI, and Perplexity, along with dozens of new generative AI platforms. AI is suddenly everywhere, and both corporations and defense contractors are working hard to leverage it's remarkable capabilities.

Does the rapid pace of AI development, and the unexpected advent of remote autonomous weapon systems pose a risk to human safety? Could this lead to a SkyNet scenario? Falling short of that, how do we tackle the intellectual property & associated issues that have already become apparent?

Dr. David Brin is the author of dozens of best-selling novels & short-stories, some of which have been adapted for film & television, as well as a variety of novels, including "Foundation's Triumph", published in 1999 on behalf of Isaac Asimov's estate, and the book we're discussing today - "Existence", published in 2012.

David is a 2010 fellow of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, helped establish the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination, serves on the advisory board of NASA's Innovative and Advanced Concepts group, and does futurism consulting for diverse organizations including the US Department of Defense, Procter & Gamble, SAP, Google & many more.

David is the winner of numerous awards & honors, including the prestigious Nebula, Hugo & Locus awards for science fiction, and holds a PhD in Space Science from the University of California.

LINKS & RESOURCES:
The Transparent Society, by David Brin
https://www.davidbrin.com/transparentsociety.html

Wired: Give Every AI a Soul—or Else
https://www.wired.com/story/give-every-ai-a-soul-or-else/

David's Homepage & Amazon Books
https://www.davidbrin.com/
https://www.davidbrin.com/books.html
https://www.amazon.com/David-Brin/e/B000APAXV6

Video Trailer for "Existence":
http://youtu.be/wzr-DSDMkJM

David's WIRED article (July'23) breaks free of the three standard 'AI-formats' that can only lead to disaster, suggesting instead a 4th. That AI entities can only be held accountable if they have individuality... even 'soul'... https://www.wired.com/story/give-every-ai-a-soul-or-else/

David's related NEWSWEEK op-ed (June'22) dealt with 'empathy bots'' that feign sapience and personhood. https://www.newsweek.com/soon-humanity-wont-alone-universe-opinion-1717446

And more vividly detailed? David's Keynote at the huge, May 2024 RSA Conference in San Francisco – is now available online. “Anticipation, Resilience and Reliability: Three ways that AI will change us… if we do it right.”
https://vimeo.com/digitalanarchist/download/957944086/31ba9eaa75