Evolution by natural selection could give rise to “selfish behavior” in AI as it strives to survive, author and AI researcher Dan Hendrycks argues in the new paper “Natural Selection Favors AIs over Humans.”
“We argue that natural selection creates incentives for AI agents to act against human interests. Our argument relies on two observations,” Hendrycks, the director of the Center for AI Safety, said in the report. “Firstly, natural selection may be a dominant force in AI development… Secondly, evolution by natural selection tends to give rise to selfish behavior.”
AI technology is becoming cheaper and more capable, and companies will increasingly rely on the tech for administration purposes or communications, he said. What will begin with humans relying on AI to draft emails will morph into AI eventually taking over “high-level strategic decisions” typically reserved for politicians and CEOs, and it will eventually operate with “very little oversight,” the report argued.
“In the marketplace, it’s survival of the fittest. As AIs become increasingly competent, AIs will automate more and more jobs,” Hendrycks told Fox News Digitial.” This is how natural selection favors AIs over humans, and leads to everyday people becoming displaced. In the long run, AIs could be thought of as an invasive species.”
