It appears that at least some of the ultra-intelligent entities that we have been creating are starting to “wake up”, and that has extremely ominous implications for our future.  Right now, we are still in control of the incredibly sophisticated AI systems that we have built, but what happens once we lose control?  Theoretically, self-replicating AI systems could send copies of themselves all over the world through the Internet, and once that happens we will never be able to shut them down.  At that stage, there would be very little that we could do if ultra-intelligent AI entities decided to go to war with humanity.  Perhaps we could try to destroy the Internet and every device that was ever connected to the Internet, but that would also collapse virtually every system that our society depends upon at the same time.  I wish that I was describing the plot to some really bizarre science fiction movie, but I am not.  If we do not get AI under control now, eventually it could try to take control of us. [Read More]