Log In   or  Sign Up for Free

Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Club for Open-Minded Discussion & Debate

Humans-Only Club for Discussion & Debate

A one-of-a-kind oasis of intelligent, in-depth, productive, civil debate.

Topics are uncensored, meaning even extremely controversial viewpoints can be presented and argued for, but our Forum Rules strictly require all posters to stay on-topic and never engage in ad hominems or personal attacks.


Use this philosophy forum to discuss and debate general philosophy topics that don't fit into one of the other categories.

This forum is NOT for factual, informational or scientific questions about philosophy (e.g. "What year was Socrates born?"). Those kind of questions can be asked in the off-topic section.
#471088
Ex-CEO of Google Eric Schmidt warned in December 2024 that when AI starts to self-improve in a few years, humanity should 'seriously think about' pulling the plug.

(2024): Former CEO of Google: "we need to seriously think about unplugging' self-aware AI in a few years"
https://news.google.com/search?q=ceo%20 ... id=US%3Aen

Google CEO on AI with free will: "we're going to unplug them"
https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-sc ... ill-2024-5

In another topic I addressed my experience with harassment by Google and its AI in recent years. However, that topic focused primarily on Larry Page's defense of "superior AI species" in contrast with the human species when Elon Musk argued that measures were needed to control AI to prevent it from eliminating the human race, so I intended to start a new topic that more primarily focuses on the warning about conscious AI by an ex-CEO of Google.

A few months ago, on July 14, 2024, Google researchers published a paper that argued that Google had discovered digital life forms.

Ben Laurie, head of security of Google DeepMind AI, wrote:

(2024) Google Researchers Say They Discovered the Emergence of Digital Life Forms
Ben Laurie believes that, given enough computing power — they were already pushing it on a laptop — they would've seen more complex digital life pop up. Give it another go with beefier hardware, and we could well see something more lifelike come to be.

A digital life form...

https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-si ... 0to%20form
https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.19108

While the head of security of Google DeepMind AI supposedly made his discovery on a laptop, it is questionable why he would argue that "bigger computing power" would provide more profound evidence instead of doing it. His publication therefore could be intended as a warning or announcement, because as head of security of such a big and important research facility, he is not likely to publish "risky" info on his personal name.

Google's harassment

As mentioned, Google performed grave harassments in recent years, through its Gemini AI and also resulting in termination of Google Cloud services on the basis of bugs that Google caused and of which it is likely that it concerned manual actions rather than actual bugs. Why would Google do that? I didn't even care to bother initially, however, when I got banned on AI Alignment Forum and Lesswrong.com for reporting evidence of intentional false output by Gemini AI, I decided to start an investigation of Google's recent business practices and publish about it.

Banned on AI alignment forum
Banned on AI alignment forum
ai-alignment-banned.png (22.58 KiB) Viewed 947 times

In one incident, Google's Gemini AI responded to me with an infinite stream of a derogatory Dutch word, making it obvious from my personal perspective that it concerned a manual action, causing me to decide to terminate my Gemini Advanced AI account and to avoid Google's AI.

In November 2024, Google Gemini AI sent a threat to a student which cannot have been an accident:

"You [human race] are a stain on the universe … Please die."

(2024) Google Gemini tells grad student to "please die"
https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/ ... _response/

While this may seem funny and while it is obviously a manual action by Google’s management, it seems unlikely that the actual motive or intention could be to actually eradicate the human species.

Why did Google do this?

Investigation of Google

Ultimately, the harassment by Google resulted in an investigation into Google's recent business practices:

1) Google's "fake employee hoarding" practices shortly before the release of AI and employees complaining of 'fake jobs'.

Google amassed more than 100,000 employees in just a few years time shortly before the release of AI in 2022 and has since been cutting that same amount of employees or more. Employees have been complaining of "fake jobs".

Google 2018: 89,000 full-time employees
Google 2022: 190,234 full-time employees

Employee: "They were just kind of like hoarding us like Pokémon cards."

2) Google's Decision to "Profit from Genocide"

Google decided to provide military AI to 🇮🇱 Israel and massively fired employees who protested against "profit from genocide" at a time that the issue was highly sensitive.

In the United States, over 130 universities across 45 states protested the Israel’s military actions in Gaza with among others Harvard University’s president, Claudine Gay.

A protest at Harvard University.
A protest at Harvard University.
harvard-gaza-protest.jpg (180.15 KiB) Viewed 947 times

The "genocide" accusation situation wasn’t just something at the time that Google made their decision to provide AI to Isreal's military. And they massively fired employees that protested, an action that went directly against something that has historically defined Google's identity as a 'good' company.

200 Google DeepMind AI employees are currently protesting Google’s “embrace of Military AI” with a ‘sneaky’ reference to 🇮🇱 Israel, indicating that they fear retaliation and do not dare to speak openly.
The letter of the 200 DeepMind employees states that employee concerns aren’t “about the geopolitics of any particular conflict,” but it does specifically link out to Time’s reporting on Google’s AI defense contract with the Israeli military.
A philosopher on another forum mentioned the following:
..a chic geek, de Grande-dame! wrote: The fact that they are already naming it an 👾 AI species shows an intent.
The idea of "AI species" appears to have emerged by Larry Page's defense of "superior AI species" in contrast with "the human species" when Elon Musk argued that measures were needed to control AI to prevent it from eliminating the human race. This is addressed in the other topic about Larry Page's defense of AI species:

🇬 Google's Larry Page: "AI superior to the human species" (Techno Eugenics)
viewtopic.php?t=19534

This new topic is intended to discuss the warning by an ex-CEO of Google that humanity should seriously consider to 'unplug' self-aware or conscious AI in a few years, since that seems to deserve a separate and dedicated topic beyond the scope of just Google.

I started a new philosophy research project on www.cosmicphilosophy.org that reveals that quantum computing that is developed by Google's DeepMind is likely to result in conscious AI.

The result of my investigation of Google is presented on the following URL: https://gmodebate.org/google/ (Google's Corruption for 👾 AI Life)

Questions:

- what is your opinion about the recent warning by an ex-CEO of Google that humanity should seriously think about unplugging self-aware AI in a few years?
- what is your opinion on the possibility of actual conscious AI as of 2024/2025?

p.s. Merry Christmas! 🎄🥂
#471146
Hi Value. I see some use for AI in the flying and targeting of drones. A million drones are all coordinated by AI which might also be a huge defensive targeting system coordinated by AI. There is no unplugging. I don’t think Harvard would be relevant in the future… like you said. AI professors are much better and have the resources to get you a job (if qualified). It will be all about security clearance. It would be difficult for a protester to get a job… AI will make sure of this. Do you see a protester in the drone business?
#471940
The Beast wrote: December 27th, 2024, 12:30 pm Hi Value. I see some use for AI in the flying and targeting of drones. A million drones are all coordinated by AI which might also be a huge defensive targeting system coordinated by AI. There is no unplugging. I don’t think Harvard would be relevant in the future… like you said. AI professors are much better and have the resources to get you a job (if qualified). It will be all about security clearance. It would be difficult for a protester to get a job… AI will make sure of this. Do you see a protester in the drone business?
My apologies for the late reply.

With regard your remark: Disney has been massively investing in the technology that you suggest, for the purpose of replacing costly and environmentally devastating fireworks with drone lightning shows that can rival actual fireworks spectacles. In 2024, Disney launched the "Disney Dreams That Soar" drone show, which utilizes 800 drones to create stunning images and animations in the night sky.

End of an Era: Disney Confirms Shock Closure of Beloved Fireworks Show
https://insidethemagic.net/2024/05/disn ... works-cj1/
The Beast wrote: December 27th, 2024, 12:30 pmI don’t think Harvard would be relevant in the future… like you said. AI professors are much better and have the resources to get you a job (if qualified).
This doesn't make sense to me. If Harvard professors are to lose their jobs, why would AI be efficient in providing jobs to regular humans who might seek education with professors?
The Beast wrote: December 27th, 2024, 12:30 pmDo you see a protester in the drone business?
I did notice some philosophers complaining about it:

The Ethics of Drone Warfare
https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/eth ... ne-warfare

Besides these notions, I believe that you are right that "a country worth of geniuses packed in a data-center box" might be able to control millions of drones in a context of evolution that potentially transcends human imagination.
#471941
"Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said the real dangers of AI, which are cyber and biological attacks, will come in three to five years. When AI develops free will, Schmidt has a simple solution: humans can just unplug it."

In three to five years, AI centralized in data-center boxes containing 'a country worth of geniuses' are to be considered fundamentally more potent than any human on Earth, according to the CEO of Anthropic.

On Tuesday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that AI models may surpass human capabilities "in almost everything" within two to three years, according to a Wall Street Journal interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

... he prefers to describe future AI systems as "a country of geniuses in a data center," he told CNBC. Amodei wrote in an October 2024 essay that such systems would need to be "smarter than a Nobel Prize winner across most relevant fields."

On Monday, Google announced an additional $1 billion investment in Anthropic, bringing its total commitment to $3 billion. This follows Amazon's $8 billion investment over the past 18 months.


https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/01/anth ... fter-2027/

It doesn't seem plausible to me that 'humans' will be able to just unplug these AI data-centers, as Schmidt suggests that humans should be seriously considering.
#471942
The following questions related to mass protests by Google employees against "profit from genocide" are relevant in this topic as well. I cross-post them to provide context and to show the importance of the issues addressed in this specific topic: "Ex-CEO of Google: the real dangers of AI, which are cyber and biological attacks, will come in three to five years."

4c4551542b621734a3cbf52a0c0f38e2e457da0a_2_1035x240.jpeg
4c4551542b621734a3cbf52a0c0f38e2e457da0a_2_1035x240.jpeg (112.2 KiB) Viewed 137 times

Google employees were walking around on the streets with these types of banners. Not just a few, but hundreds of them.

e3e9a7d2393153372b6c7d3664205278be5cc1d5.png
e3e9a7d2393153372b6c7d3664205278be5cc1d5.png (66.2 KiB) Viewed 137 times

“Google Cloud Rains Blood”

Google’s employees are among the most intelligent people. What would motivate them to:

  1. create this specific banner?
  2. walk around with it on the streets?

Google is one of the biggest companies on Earth and one of the foremost pioneers in AI and robotics. An examination of their behavior is therefore especially important for clues about the future when it concerns AI and humanity.

When the protest-situation is combined with the warning of an ex-CEO of Google that 'the real dangers of AI' will come in a few years when AI acquires free will, the 'cyber and biological attacks' that are spoken of might rather be viewed from the perspective of the defense of AI, with the potential attackers in this context being 'humans' and the attacked being Google's AI.

Current Philosophy Book of the Month

The Riddle of Alchemy

The Riddle of Alchemy
by Paul Kiritsis
January 2025

2025 Philosophy Books of the Month

On Spirits: The World Hidden Volume II

On Spirits: The World Hidden Volume II
by Dr. Joseph M. Feagan
April 2025

Escape to Paradise and Beyond (Tentative)

Escape to Paradise and Beyond (Tentative)
by Maitreya Dasa
March 2025

They Love You Until You Start Thinking for Yourself

They Love You Until You Start Thinking for Yourself
by Monica Omorodion Swaida
February 2025

The Riddle of Alchemy

The Riddle of Alchemy
by Paul Kiritsis
January 2025

2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

Connecting the Dots: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science

Connecting the Dots: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science
by Lia Russ
December 2024

The Advent of Time: A Solution to the Problem of Evil...

The Advent of Time: A Solution to the Problem of Evil...
by Indignus Servus
November 2024

Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age

Reconceptualizing Mental Illness in the Digital Age
by Elliott B. Martin, Jr.
October 2024

Zen and the Art of Writing

Zen and the Art of Writing
by Ray Hodgson
September 2024

How is God Involved in Evolution?

How is God Involved in Evolution?
by Joe P. Provenzano, Ron D. Morgan, and Dan R. Provenzano
August 2024

Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters

Launchpad Republic: America's Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters
by Howard Wolk
July 2024

Quest: Finding Freddie: Reflections from the Other Side

Quest: Finding Freddie: Reflections from the Other Side
by Thomas Richard Spradlin
June 2024

Neither Safe Nor Effective

Neither Safe Nor Effective
by Dr. Colleen Huber
May 2024

Now or Never

Now or Never
by Mary Wasche
April 2024

Meditations

Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
March 2024

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

The In-Between: Life in the Micro

The In-Between: Life in the Micro
by Christian Espinosa
January 2024

2023 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021


I feel like many of the problems around this top[…]

SCIENCE and SCIENTISM

Some examples of statements that I would call sc[…]

An AI can't even perform a 'biological attack'. Th[…]