As AI advances, doomers warn the superintelligence apocalypse is nigh

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The Anthropic website on a laptop arranged in New Hyde Park, New York, on Aug. 22. Anthropic is one of the leading artificial intelligence companies. The company's CEO was among those that signed a public statement in 2023 acknowledging the "risk of extinction from AI." / Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Nate Soares, co-author of the book If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, says time is running out to stop a superhuman AI from wiping out humanity. / NPR

What happens when we make an artificial intelligence that's smarter than us? Some AI researchers have long warned that moment will mean humanity's doom.

Now that AI is rapidly advancing, some "AI Doomers" say it's time to hit the brakes. They say the machine learning revolution that led to everyday AI models such as ChatGPT has also made it harder to figure out how to "align" artificial intelligence with our interests – namely, keeping AI from outsmarting humans. Researchers into AI safety say there's a chance that such a superhuman intelligence would act quickly to wipe us out.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports on the tensions in Silicon Valley over AI safety.

For a more detailed discussion on the arguments for — and against — AI doom, please listen to this special episode of NPR Explains:

And for the truly curious, a reading list:

The abbreviated version of the "Everyone Dies" argument, in the Atlantic.

The "useful idiots" rebuttal, also in the Atlantic

The potential timeline of an AI takeover

Research into "AI Faking" and deception

Smith College economics professor James Miller reflects on the game theory of expecting AI apocalypse, while hoping for AI salvation

Maybe AI isn't speeding up smarter AI, at least not yet. Research from METR

Analysis — and skepticism — from experts about the near-term likelihood of human- or superhuman-level artificial intelligence