Recent threats from Vladimir Putin to utilize nuclear weapons have brought the Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of global catastrophe, closer to midnight than ever before. This shift has reignited fears among current generations about the ultimate destructive power of nuclear weapons.

Adding fuel to this fear, the newly released film, ‘Oppenheimer’, captures the momentous instance of the creation of the nuclear bomb. The film’s director, Christopher Nolan, intends to serve the movie as a cautionary tale warning about the escalating dangers of technological advancements, particularly artificial intelligence (AI).

While AI and technology companies are rapidly expanding their operations across global boundaries, this constant progression makes it incredibly hard for sovereign nations to control them. The public discourse around AI often leads to widespread panic, highlighted by experts who predict a probability that AI might lead to human extinction. This terrifying possibility is curiously named ‘p(doom)’ in scientific jargon.

One such prediction came from Paul Christiano, one of the creators of the advanced conversational AI model, ChatGPT. He estimated the likelihood of AI causing human destruction to be at 50%.

However, not all experts agree on the panic-driven public sentiment regarding AI. An advocate of a more measured approach is Ciaran Martin, an Oxford specialist in secure technology and the founding chief executive of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre. Martin warns against panic, highlighting its potential to overshadow the many benefits of AI, including in sectors such as healthcare.

He goes on to highlight how panic can often lead to misinformation and fear, citing an example from 2010 when a magazine front cover showed a city engulfed in flames, implying an imminent cyberwar. Martin explains that cyber warfare tends to be more about code disruption, causing damage and cost, but typically not resulting in direct human casualties.

Martin encourages adopting an individual problems-based approach to AI threats rather than panicking about an AI-driven apocalypse.

As part of a move towards more responsible use of AI, a group of major US tech companies recently agreed with the White House to watermark any content produced by AI, aiming to distinguish deepfakes from reality. These are voluntary efforts, and several other firms have refrained from participating.

In China, the Communist Party has issued guidelines requiring the incorporation of “socialist values” into any newly-produced AI programs.

Ciaran Martin suggests that the online world should follow a principle similar to the ‘mutual assured destruction’ logic with nuclear weapons. This principle emphasizes developing defensive measures against AI threats just as actively as the offensive. While the concerns about AI are legitimate, Martin underlines the need for broad societal awareness that opportunities for panic are always available. Even though the ominous Doomsday Clock exists, it has never struck midnight.

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