Artificial intelligence could make the world richer than ever—or it may cause a catastrophe.
It’s something that even the tech bros can’t agree on. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, thinks AI is going to be hugely positive, and Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind Technologies, believes there’s a chance that it could help cure all diseases one day. But Anthropic’s Dario Amodei isn’t so confident, stating that there’s a 25% chance that things could go badly wrong.
Across the rich world there are fears that AI could cause major job losses, but this might not be the case. Data suggest that white-collar employment in America is actually on the rise.
From an economic boom to equal education to advancements in medicine, AI could transform the world. But, on the other end of the scale, there are concerns over recursive self-improvement and a potential need for a full revamp of the tax system.
Alex Hern, The Economist’s AI writer, delves into how AI could change the future—for better or for worse.