Experts are warning the world is on the verge of a major global shift as historic as the Renaissance or the industrial revolution. Elon Musk, for example, announced last week that he's six to twelve months away from curing blindness using neural brain implants:
Musk: "Longterm, you would have very high resolution and be able to see in multi-spectral wavelengths, so you could see in infrared, ultraviolet, radar – like a superpower situation."
That could be just one of the marvels on the way, courtesy of artificial intelligence (AI) – if it can be kept from becoming too powerful and taking over the world. Robert Maginnis, author of the upcoming book "AI for Mankind's Future," contends the coming upheaval will be every bit as dramatic as the Industrial Revolution.
"Back in the 19th century the world faced industrialization, with locomotives and electricity and the like – and as a result, manufacturing became the primary source for a lot of human beings," he notes.
But Maginnis points out that along with technical advances, the Industrial Revolution brought with it things like sweatshops and child labor and monopolies. The national security expert says now is the time to start erecting guardrails around AI.
"We have some political people who want to let this happen without guardrails," he warns.
Pope Leo expressed concern last week as well, saying children should not be allowed to confuse mere access to data with intelligence.
Maginnis has similar concerns about unfettered access to AI, predicting it could result in a "dumbing down" of children. Using AI, he says, students already are able to create outstanding articles or research papers without having to exert much cognitive effort at all.
Earlier this month, Maginnis expressed concern as well regarding a proposed 10-year ban on states passing any laws or regulations on AI. That proposal is buried deep inside the "one big, beautiful bill" currently awaiting congressional approval in Washington, DC.
