My computer sits beside my lathe (a Boxford which was originally equipped with a 3⁄4 horse power 3-phase motor). Which is more powerful? They act on the world in such different ways that it seems hard to know where to begin in comparing them. But say the word “danger” and all is made clear. It is an old, manual lathe. It would be easy to lose a finger or an eye. It is the lathe that is dangerous, and the computer that is safe.
AI is dangerous because it is a powerful tool? Such an abstraction is too vague to be useful.
My computer sits beside my lathe (a Boxford which was originally equipped with a 3⁄4 horse power 3-phase motor). Which is more powerful? They act on the world in such different ways that it seems hard to know where to begin in comparing them. But say the word “danger” and all is made clear. It is an old, manual lathe. It would be easy to lose a finger or an eye. It is the lathe that is dangerous, and the computer that is safe.
AI is dangerous because it is a powerful tool? Such an abstraction is too vague to be useful.