One of my favorite works of fiction to discuss AI’s potential impact on society is Daemon, a recent novel by Daniel Suarez.  Suarez’s vision is of a series of relatively simple software programs set into motion by a game designer and able to act on the world…. importantly, the book’s villain is a really clever person—one who uses software to manipulate and harm others.  The result is eye-opening, the implications for law and society arguably immediate…. In my view, our first priority should be thinking through the negative ramifications of the many computer programs already capable of acting upon the world.  Worrying that robots will become self-aware and hurt people feels a little like worrying that mops and brooms will become enchanted and ruin the sorcerer’s house.

Posted on September 15, 2011