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Op-ed: A rational take on a SkyNet ‘doomsday’ scenario if OpenAI has moved closer to AGI

Press Releases Crypto News CryptoSlate Op-ed: A rational take on a SkyNet ‘doomsday’ scenario if OpenAI has moved closer to AGI

Hollywood blockbusters routinely depict rogue AIs turning against humanity. However, the real-world narrative about the risks artificial intelligence poses is far less sensational but significantly more important. The fear of an all-knowing AI breaking the unbreakable and declaring war on humanity makes for great cinema, but it obscures the tangible risks much closer to home.

I’ve previously talked about how humans will do more harm with AI before it ever reaches sentience. However, here, I want to debunk a few common myths about the risks of AGi through a similar lens.

The myth of AI breaking strong encryption.

Let’s begin by debunking a popular Hollywood trope: the idea that advanced AI will break strong encryption and, in doing so, gain the upper hand over humanity.

The truth is AI’s ability to decrypt strong encryption remains notably limited. While AI has demonstrated potential in recognizing patterns within encrypted data, suggesting that some encryption schemes could be vulnerable, this is far from the apocalyptic scenario often portrayed. Recent breakthroughs, such as cracking the post-quantum encryption algorithm CRYSTALS-Kyber, were achieved through a combination of AI’s recursive training and side-channel attacks, not through AI’s standalone capabilities.

The actual threat posed by AI in cybersecurity is an extension of current challenges. AI can, and is, being used to enhance cyberattacks like spear phishing. These methods are becoming more sophisticated, allowing hackers to infiltrate networks more effectively. The concern is not an autonomous AI overlord but human misuse of AI in cybersecurity breaches. Moreover, once hacked, AI systems can learn and adapt to fulfill malicious objectives autonomously, making them harder to detect and counter.