AI evil and evil AI are distinct but related and, per definition, overlapping topics (Eiriksson, 2024).
The idea of AI being “evil” is a theme in popular culture, and a popular one in science fiction. (Eiriksson, 2024).
The concept of "AI evil" refers to the growing fear and skepticism surrounding the potential negative consequences of artificial intelligence as it becomes more powerful and autonomous. Critics warn that AI systems, if misused or left unchecked, could cause harm on a massive scale, from amplifying biases in decision-making to making life-altering decisions without human oversight. In a more dystopian sense, some speculate about the rise of malevolent AI, where machines could develop their own goals, potentially at odds with human welfare, or even contribute to mass surveillance, control, and societal division. Philosophers and technologists like Nick Bostrom in Superintelligence (2014) have raised alarms about the risks of creating AI that surpasses human intelligence, warning that without careful alignment of values and ethical constraints, such technologies could pose existential threats. These concerns also extend to the fear that AI could be weaponized, either in autonomous warfare or as tools for authoritarian governments, fueling anxieties about "AI evil" as a force beyond human control, operating in ways that could lead to unintended and catastrophic consequences.
Media[]
Film[]
- The Terminator franchise | Skynet
Forums[]
- Why are sentient AI almost always portrayed as evil? : r/ArtificialInteligence
- AI is a battlefield of good & evil : r/singularity
- Personal evil; Impersonal evil; New evil