What are your thoughts on the idea that artificial intelligence represents an existential threat to humanity?

👍 Strongly agree (35%) – "AI technology is advancing rapidly, at a pace far greater than previous tech. And yet people remain the same, with all of their flaws in public display these days. Conflict everywhere, and talks of nuclear escalation are almost daily. In this environment, having AI is like giving a grenade to a toddler. It will not end well."

• "I’m seeing a higher number of students skipping their critical thinking processes in favor of AI shortcuts, butting their brain development at serious risk. I fear future generations will be divided into the naturally smart and motivated and the breed of Idiocracy that drinks Gatorade from water fountains."

"In most cases, it is not that the technology itself is bad, but that it is inevitable that it will be used to do harm by people with ill will if not regulated. Technology improves life in so many ways, but it must be regulated somehow."

• "AI Is able to have human-like conversations with us. I have even heard people starting to become friends with AI bots as well. If it is this advanced to communicate with people on an emotional level, it should definitely be regulated."

📈 Kinda agree (30%) – "I'm not sure if it is AI that is the threat or humans themselves. Take Gemini for example. The AI didn't program itself to generate historically inaccurate images, nor refuse to generate pictures of a happy white family -- that was humans. That leads me to think that it isn't AI that we need to worry about, but the age old abuse of a new tool we have yet to understand."

• "As long as philosophy and government is able to compensate for the changes to come, I think AI will be a force for good. The only problem is that I do not believe people or government would do what is necessary to compensate for the impact. For example, more social systems to compensate for the jobs that AI inevitably replaces. Also, I believe that doing work is key to human happiness. If AI is doing all the meaningful work, then what’s left for us?"

"We know so little about artificial intelligence, and it is not in the interest of the companies developing the technology (Google, OpenAI, Apple, etc.) to be transparent. I don't know enough to say it is a existential threat, but I worry that it will be too late to adjust our current trajectory when we know for sure."

↔️ Neutral (12%) – "I'm still uncertain exactly what the capabilities of AI are currently, and what the technology can do in the future."

📉 Kinda disagree (12%) – "I was very leery of AI until I started using ChatGPT. I quickly learned that it’s a tool. While it may replace jobs, technology has always done that. There will be new jobs opening because of technology but there will be others that become obsolete. Just because that happens doesn’t mean we shouldn’t move forward. AI eliminates misinformation, so long that is programmed correctly. Misinformation has ramped up in the last 10-15 years, and there needs to be something that fights it."

👎 Strongly disagree (11%) – "There are clear ways to control it. Most of the hyperbole surrounding the subject are aimed at getting a leg up. It may be a bumpy road, but in the end, AI will benefit mankind at levels we are currently unable to understand."