Recently, Andy Weir, the author of such bestseller science fiction novels as The Martian and Project Hail Mary, announced that he was working on a new book. He did not reveal much about the subject, but hinted that AI would be a plot element.
The revelation counts as potential good news for those who believe that the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence constitutes, on the balance, a boon for humankind. Weir’s novels depict human beings using technology to solve problems, whether it be how to survive on Mars or to save the world from an infestation that is cooling the sun. Weir, a computer analyst before he was a best-selling author, would be well-positioned to create an honest and more benign depiction of AI and its potential than has hitherto been the case.
AI has been the subject of science fiction films and TV for decades. In 1970, a now little-known film, Colossus: The Forbin Project, depicts an AI computer, which has been given charge of the world’s nuclear arsenal, taking over the world for its own good, whether humanity wants it or not.
Even before Colossus: The Forbin Project, an episode of Star Trek entitled “The Ultimate Computer” and the film 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted AI computers going rogue and murdering human beings.
The 1980s, with War Games and the Terminator franchise, continued the tradition of AI as a threat.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and AI, once a subject of science fiction, is rapidly becoming reality. The technology has collided with a human race that has been conditioned by popular culture to fear and hate it. Hence, popular and political opposition to AI has started to boil.
To be sure, no one has been crazy enough to hand over nuclear weapons to an AI computer. No one thinks that a latter-day Colossus or Skynet is going to destroy the world.
However, fears of AI destroying millions of jobs have become a topic of conversation. Politicians, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), are playing on these fears to try to stop, slow, or seize control of AI.
Local communities are revolting against AI data centers, fearing that they will drive up the cost of electricity and water. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has signed a moratorium on the construction of data centers. Even in business-friendly Texas, politicians are beginning to express doubts about the construction of data centers, especially in rural areas.
SpaceX’s Elon Musk has a solution to data center NIMBYism. He wants to build them in space, power them with solar panels, and keep them from disturbing local communities on Earth.
It should be noted that China, the main technological rival of the United States, is going pedal to the metal to develop AI. It’s not a question of whether or not the technology is coming. The question is who will control it.
No one but Weir knows how his new book will approach AI. One suspects, from his previous books, that he will avoid the theme of AI as the destroyer of jobs, local communities, or indeed the world. AI is just a tool like any other, which can be used for ill, but also for tremendous good, solving some of the intractable problems that have beset humankind since the beginning of civilization.
AI will be used to cure diseases, develop new, abundant sources of clean energy, and uncover some of the secrets of the universe. Like the industrial revolution of the 19th century and the information revolution of the 20th century, the AI revolution will contribute mightily to human happiness, health, and prosperity — even if, like the previous revolutions, it will create problems that must be dealt with.
CHINA’S ‘OPEN SOURCE’ AI ISN’T A GIFT — IT’S A TROJAN HORSE
Weir’s upcoming book will certainly be a runaway bestseller. It will almost certainly be fast-tracked to be made into a major motion picture. It will hopefully provide a different view of AI than the dystopian stories of the past.
Popular culture has the power to shape beliefs, for good or ill. Will Weir, whose previous novels have celebrated the power of science and technology to solve problems, provide a different view of AI than people have received previously? It is sincerely hoped that will be the case.
Mark Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? as well as The Moon, Mars and Beyond, and, most recently, Why is America Going Back to the Moon? He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. He is published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, the LA Times, and the Washington Post, among other venues.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
