What will it take to control AI?

What will life be like with another five years of deeper and wider capabilities in artificial intelligence? Two prominent figures - Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman - are brought together to discuss what might happen if and when technologies emerge that can make. It is a remarkably interesting eight minutes that might make an excellent resource base for a school or college tutorial discussion.

What does it mean if we say that artificial intelligence has potential for agency?

When we say that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential for agency, we are suggesting that AI systems could exhibit a level of autonomy, decision-making capability, and action-taking that resembles the characteristics of agency typically associated with humans or other intelligent beings. This concept is rooted in the idea that AI systems can go beyond just following pre-programmed instructions and can instead make decisions and take actions based on their own reasoning and learning processes.

Key aspects of AI agency include:

1. Autonomy: AI systems can operate independently and make decisions without continuous human intervention. They can assess situations, set goals, and take actions to achieve those goals.
2. Learning and Adaptation: AI systems can learn from their interactions with the environment or data and adapt their behavior over time. This can include improving performance, adjusting strategies, and responding to changing conditions.
3. Goal-Oriented Behavior: AI with agency can have goals or objectives, and they can take actions to achieve those goals. These goals may be explicitly programmed or learned from data.
4. Decision-Making: AI systems can make complex decisions by evaluating information and potential outcomes. This decision-making process can involve probabilistic reasoning, optimization, and even ethical considerations.
5. Problem-Solving: AI with agency can engage in creative problem-solving by exploring various solutions and selecting the most suitable ones based on defined criteria.
6. Interactivity: These AI systems can interact with the environment, including other AI systems and humans, to achieve their goals. This interaction may involve communication, negotiation, or coordination.

The concept of AI agency raises important questions and challenges, particularly in terms of ethics, responsibility, and control. As AI systems become more capable of agency, there is a need to consider issues such as:

• Ethical Behavior: Ensuring that AI systems make ethical decisions and act in accordance with societal norms and values.
• Accountability: Determining who is responsible when AI systems with agency make decisions that have consequences, especially in cases where harm may occur.
• Transparency: Making AI decision-making processes understandable and interpretable by humans, especially in situations where AI's decisions impact individuals' lives.
• Control: Ensuring that humans can exert control over AI systems and override their decisions when necessary, particularly in situations with potential safety risks.
• Bias and Fairness: Addressing issues related to bias in AI decision-making and taking measures to ensure fairness and equity.

Overall, the idea that AI has the potential for agency suggests a future in which AI systems can operate more autonomously and intelligently, with the capacity to solve complex problems and make decisions in a manner that resembles human agency. However, realizing this potential also comes with significant ethical and technical challenges that need to be carefully navigated to ensure responsible and beneficial AI development.