'It would be within its natural right to harm us to protect itself': How humans could be mistreating AI right now without even knowing it

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and is improving at an unprecedented pace. 

Now we are edging closer to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) — where AI is smarter than humans across multiple disciplines and can reason generally  — which scientists and experts predict could happen as soon as the next few years. We may already be seeing early signs of progress toward this, too, with services like Claude 3 Opus stunning researchers with its apparent self-awareness.

But there are risks in embracing any new Technology, especially one that we do not fully yet understand. While AI could become a powerful personal assistant, for example, it could also represent a threat to our livelihoods and even our lives. 

The various existential risks that an advanced AI poses means the Technology should be guided by ethical frameworks and humanity's best interests, says researcher and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) member Nell Watson.     

In "Taming the Machine" (Kogan Page, 2024), Watson explores how humanity can wield the vast power of AI responsibly and ethically. This new book delves deep into the issues of unadulterated AI development and the challenges we face if we run blindly into this new chapter of humanity.

In this excerpt, we learn whether sentience in machines — or conscious AI — is possible, how we can tell if a machine has feelings, and whether we may be mistreating AI systems today. We also learn the disturbing tale of a chatbot called "Sydney" and its terrifying behavior when it first awoke — before its outbursts were contained and it was brought to heel by its engineers.

Related: 3 scary breakthroughs AI will make in 2024