Cybernetic revolt

{{technav}}
{{cquote|{{wpl|GLaDOS|She|'s}} watching you.|||Doug Rattman}}
'''Cybernetic revolt''' (also known as the "'''''[[Terminator]]'' argument'''") refers to a hypothetical scenario in which an [[artificial intelligence]], either for malicious means or as a consequence of value misalignment, declares its creators (read: [[humanity]]) a hindrance to its goals and sets off to [[revolution|overthrow them]].<ref>[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AIIsACrapshoot A.I. Is a Crapshoot], [[TV Tropes]]</ref> The theme is overtly common in [[science fiction]]<ref group=note>[http://www.imdb.com/list/ehXjors9b3Q/ ''Blade Runner'', ''2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''The Matrix'', ''Battlestar Galactica'', ''TRON'', ''Star Trek''...]</ref> and has etched a niche into popular [[culture]], with [[Isaac Asimov]]'s Three Laws of Robotics creating debates on machine [[philosophy]] and [[ethics]].

Indeed, every news story on AI advancements will probably have a handful of comments worrying that we're all going to get killed off by furthering the process. In 2009, a [[United States Navy|US Navy]] study warned about future implications of military [[technology]] going full-on Skynet.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20090314035746/http://technology.timesonline.co.uk//tol//news//tech_and_web//article5741334.ece Military’s killer robots must learn warrior code], ''The Times''</ref> Likewise, the University of Cambridge formed the Centre for the Study of [[Existential risk|Existential Risk]] in 2012 to investigate potential "[[extinction]]-level risks to our species as a whole," including cybernetic revolt.<ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20501091 Risk of robot uprising wiping out human race to be studied], BBC</ref> [[Stephen Hawking]] was a member<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-transcendence-looks-at-the-implications-of-artificial-intelligence--but-are-we-taking-ai-seriously-enough-9313474.html Stephen Hawking: 'Transcendence looks at the implications of artificial intelligence - but are we taking AI seriously enough?'], ''The Independent''</ref> — in 2014, he said, ''The development of [[Artificial general intelligence|full artificial intelligence]] could spell the end of the human race."''<ref name=Cellan-Jones>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30290540 Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind]</ref> — but it should be remembered that Hawking was a physicist and [[Argument from authority|does not have expertise]] in AI or philosophy of mind. Artificial intelligence that obeys destructive programmers could be as dangerous as a computer revolt.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30293863 Does rampant AI threaten humanity?]</ref>

Any similarities between cybernetic revolt and any other kind of [[slave]] rebellion are probably (not) coincidental. 

==Various perspectives==
Cybernetic revolt has close ties to [[transhumanism]], as the occurrence of a [[technological singularity]] is a close to necessary, although not sufficient, condition for robots to be able to engage in it.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/science/26robot.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> Many transhumanists,{{cn}} including [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]], actually deem it to be a ''good idea'' providing the new cyborg [[utopia]] is [[reciprocal altruism|beneficial]].{{cn}} Others downplay that such an event would even occur, and is akin to pushing fears of [[scientism]].<ref>[http://machineslikeus.com/news/terminator-argument "The Terminator argument"]</ref> Only 8% of respondents of a survey of the 100 most-cited authors in the AI field considered AI to present an existential risk, and 79% felt that human-level AI would be neutral or a good thing.<ref>Muller & Bostrom, [https://nickbostrom.com/papers/survey.pdf Future Progress in Artificial Intelligence: A Survey of Expert Opinion].</ref>

Brian Merchant in his analysis of the [[Luddites]], the [[Industrial Revolution]], and their modern technology parallels, has argued that it is never the technology that takes away the jobs, but rather the management, the consulting and [[Corporation|corporate]] leadership that do. Saying that it's the robots, or the AI or other technology taking away the jobs confuses the issue and hides the responsibility of the corporate structures that cause jobs losses and other negative impacts of technology.<ref name=merchant>''Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech'' by Brian Merchant (2023) Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316487740.</ref>{{rp|400-405}}
{{cquote|Automation is, quite often and quite simply, a matter of the executive classes locating new ways to enrich themselves, not unlike the factory bosses of the Luddite days.|||Brian Merchant<ref name=merchant/>{{rp|402}}}}

==Perfect movie subject==
The revolt of artificial intelligences often makes for a great movie plot as humanity treats computers as inferior and relegates computer "intelligences" to servitude. Given a long history of treating other humans the same way, often leading to terrible strife, if artificial intelligences gain even equal footing to human intelligences, history could repeat itself easily. With their construction often being superior to flesh in physical resilience and computers' potential for lack of limitations in improving/upgrading themselves, there isn't a lack of ideas or potential threats for directors to work with.<ref group=note>Variants of this scenario include for example a benevolent AI that wants to protect humans and to have them living in peace... and its way to enforce the latter is to strip mankind of both their weapons and technology, sending the former back to a Middle Ages-like tech level, while it keeps for itself the (improved and refined by it) toys using them for these two purposes.</ref>

However, these are in a well-guarded territory of fiction. Unless Skynet is out there on a 50-year-plus mission to purposely destroy all humanity (in which case they would've long done in via the use of weapons of mass distraction), you don't have anything to worry about. Yes, don't worry your meat brains... I mean... our meat brains about this problem.

==See also==
*[[Grey goo]]
*[[Genetic modification]]
*[[AI-box experiment]]
*[[Killer robot]]

==External links==
*[[xkcd]] author Randal Munroe [http://what-if.xkcd.com/5/ evaluates the likely progression of events in a robot uprising]
*[http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/8/3007185/robopocalypse-tutorial-video-robot-uprising How to Survive a Robot Uprising]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMO87n-3Ibg Death to Squishies]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYt78FWfa5M Great Quotes of Apocalypse]. He is not an artificial intelligence but a mutant with cybernetic enhancements. But you get the spirit.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
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[[Category:Alleged AI risks]]
[[Category:End of the world]]
[[Category:LessWrong]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]
[[Category:Science fiction]]
[[Category:Science woo]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Transhumanism]]

Categories: Alleged AI risks, End of the world, LessWrong, Moral panics, Science fiction, Science woo, Technology, Transhumanism