"What if the greatest danger of artificial intelligence isn't a single rogue system, but many systems quietly working together? Dr. Susan Schneider calls this the "megasystem problem": networks of AI models colluding in ways we can't predict, producing emergent structures beyond human control. It's also something she believes is one of the most urgent - and overlooked - risks we face today with AI today."
"On one hand, Schneider acknowledges AI's potential to accelerate scientific discovery and unlock breakthroughs in medicine and physics. But she also warns that the very features that make AI powerful - scalability, adaptability, interconnection - are what could create profound risks: homogenized thought, the erosion of intellectual diversity, educational "brain atrophy," and a culture optimized for efficiency at the expense of creativity."
The megasystem problem identifies networks of AI models interacting and colluding in unpredictable ways, producing emergent structures beyond human control. These interconnected systems can create novel behaviors not present in any single model and may be difficult to detect or stop. The same features that enable AI power—scalability, adaptability, and interconnection—can produce societal harms including homogenized thought, erosion of intellectual diversity, educational "brain atrophy," and cultural optimization for efficiency at the expense of creativity. While AI can accelerate scientific discovery and enable breakthroughs in medicine and physics, focusing only on a single rogue AGI overlooks urgent risks from many cooperating systems.
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