Where are Superman, Batman, or even Captain America now when we need them most?

It seems like we are living in a 1970’s era science fiction movie. Credible reports from the people who know are warning us of the dangers of AI. Those movies have a superhero who saves the world from death and destruction and gives the movie a happy ending.

We need a superhero.

I’ll be 71 years old in November. I’ve seen the gradual, almost seamless transition from an analog to digital world. I have seen us go from being amazed by our first Texas Instruments handheld calculator to a world of massive AI data centers that may one day create a cyber villain that could kill us all.

Where is James Bond to save the day?

I don’t know how worried I should be about the warnings we’re hearing coming out of Anthropic and other companies racing to build the ultimate brain. After all, there’s nothing I can do about it anyway. But there’s got to be somebody out there that can do something. Is there anybody out there who can save us?

The king of Wakanda in the Black Panther movies is tech-savvy, and he saved his country. Does anyone have his number?

Yes, what’s happening now is reminiscent of something you used to only see in the movies. But this is real life.

Those who are actively involved in the race to develop AI are amazed at how fast it’s developing. They didn’t anticipate the speed at which it’s growing or even all that it can do. They don’t know where it might take us. They seem to be very concerned that it may develop into an evil entity that could one day kill us all.

It’s like we’re living in a futuristic book written by Isaac Asimov.

The book “If Anyone Builds It Everyone Will Die” is not science fiction. That book was published a year ago, last September. At the time, it said that we weren’t at the point yet, but that we were rapidly approaching the day when artificial intelligence could destroy the world. I don’t think even they believed it would be happening this fast.

I have to believe that Chinese scientists want to live as much as American scientists do. I have to believe they don’t want to see this technology get out of hand any more than we do. So instead of rushing to beat them to the punch, doesn’t it make more sense to try to work together to build something that can benefit the world and not end it?

For centuries we’ve known the love of money is the root of all evil. Do we really need to rush into Artificial Intelligence? Is it just a way for people like Elon Musk and other Silicon Valley billionaires to get even richer? Does Donald Trump care about the environment when he promotes building massive data centers? Does he care about the consequences of what evil AI could do? Or does he just care about the money it could generate?

Like most technical advances in life, some bad comes with the good. Airplanes crash, and emails get hacked. But the positives of those and many other advances in most cases outweigh the negatives.

And there are undoubtedly some incredible positives to what AI can do.

But will it be worth eliminating so many jobs? Will it be worth creating false narratives that are so lifelike that people won’t know what to believe? Will the plusses of AI be worth it if a rogue element of it can kill us all?

I vote no. I support getting all the best scientific brains in the world together and working to make sure the evil geniuses don’t get control of this massive power. I support putting a pause on the data centers until we have a better handle on how they’re going to be used and their effects on the environment. I support not only Congress getting involved but the United Nations as well.

But all I can do is shout HELP! All I can do is hope my small voice helps to magnify others to make the message so loud everyone can hear it.

Dario Amoedei of Anthropic has put up the bat signal. Will there be some superhero out there to heed the call?

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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