Billionaire tech boss Elon Musk has recently predicted that superhuman artificial intelligence (AI), surpassing human intellect, could become a reality as soon as next year.
If this kind of prediction becomes true, are humans ready to embrace that machines can be smarter than them?
Defining Superhuman AI
While "superhuman" AI denotes intelligence superior to any individual human at specific tasks, "superintelligent" AI surpasses the combined abilities of all humans across various tasks.
What Musk has forecasted could mean a huge AI development in transit. Of course, it remains questionable since this technology has implications for the society.
Musk's Concerns and Initiatives
Musk's concerns about the consequences of superintelligent AI have been evident in his endeavors. Through his AI startup, xAI, he aims to steer AI development in a direction that prioritizes safety and ethical considerations.
Despite acknowledging the potential benefits of advanced AI, the tycoon remains vigilant about avoiding a dystopian future akin to scenarios depicted in science fiction.
Since AI will be the biggest name for the next century to come alongside EV growth, it can leave a lasting impact on electricity and transformer supplies in the next two years.
"My guess is that we'll have AI that is smarter than any one human probably around the end of next year," Musk said in a livestreamed interview on X.
Gearing Towards Superintelligence
Recent advancements in AI, particularly demonstrated by xAI's chatbot Grok AI, indicate significant strides toward achieving superintelligence, The Guardian reports.
Grok AI's capabilities, comparable to GPT-4, exemplify the rapid evolution of AI technologies. Furthermore, competitors like Anthropic's Claude 3 Opus have emerged as frontrunners, signaling intense competition in the AI sector.
While Musk's predictions have captured attention, they have not always materialized as envisioned. Past forecasts regarding autonomous driving, space exploration, and brain-computer interfaces have faced delays and setbacks. Additionally, Musk's recent legal battles and controversies highlight the challenges he faces in balancing his ambitious pursuits with regulatory compliance and public scrutiny.
It's true that AI can do everything and perform better than humans sometimes, but it has a lot of limitations we can't overlook. For instance, an AI chip shortage could spell a disaster in the AI industry.
Three years ago, Musk said that AI can be detrimental in some career choices. He bluntly claimed that AI can make them "useless."
This might be related to the common belief that AI can replace humans in jobs. While it's partly true, it cannot totally replace a person who is high technical in task. Of course, for AI to operate better, it needs human intervention at the very least.
