By Nick Clayton
It is, perhaps, the most common plot in science fiction books and movies. Robots and intelligent machines develop superior powers and overwhelm their creators. But, although these are just stories, a co-founder of Skype, a leading scientist and a professor of philosophy believe there is enough of a danger that the threat technological development poses to human existence should be studied seriously.
The trio have established the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at one of the top academic institutions in the U.K., Cambridge University, according to P.C. Pro.
Huw Price, the Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge, had the idea after meeting up with Jaan Tallinn–one of the founders of Skype.
"He [Tallinn] said that in his pessimistic moments he felt he was more likely to die from an AI accident than from cancer or heart disease," Price said. "I was intrigued that someone with is feet so firmly on the ground in the industry should see it as such a serious issue, and impressed by his commitment to doing something about it."
Tallinn said that in his pessimistic moments he felt he was more likely to die from an AI accident than from cancer or heart disease.
Joining the software entrepreneur and the philosopher will be cosmologist and astrophysicist Lord Martin Rees, former master of Trinity College Cambridge and president of the Royal Society. As well as artificial general intelligence (AGI), which includes the ability for computers to write their own code and create their own technologies, the center will examine the potential threats from biotechnology, nanotechnology and extreme climate change. The center is expected to be formally launched next year with the participation of more academics from a variety of disciplines.
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