OpenAI cofounder says humans might become part AI when superintelligent machines rise

Every now and then, AI experts warn people about the emerging technology's dark side. While many believe that artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence in future, others are slightly more optimistic and think that machines will never be smarter than humans. But OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever has an interesting theory. He says that humans might choose to merge with AI when superintelligent machines rise.

Now that sounds straight out of a (rather scary) Sci-Fi movie, right?

OpenAI cofounder on humans merging with AI

In a conversation with MIT Technology Review, Sutskever described how the world must prepare for machines that can outsmart us. Referring to such superintelligent machines, he said that they will "see things that we don't see."

This thought prompted him to work towards setting up a team along with Jan Leike, a fellow OpenAI scientist. The team focuses on ensuring that the AI models do what humans require from them and nothing more. The OpenAI team has also come up with a name for this process – superalignment. In other words, Superalignment refers to "alignment applied to superintelligence."

Talking about the importance of keeping superintelligence in check, Sutskever told the publication that it is an "unsolved problem" that not many researchers are talking about or working on. "It's obviously important that any superintelligence anyone builds does not go rogue. Obviously."

So once we overcome the problem of rogue AI, what happens next? As per Sutskever, there is a possibility that in future, humans might choose to merge with AI instead. He said that the thought might seem "crazy" today but in future, this won't be the case.

"Many people will choose to become part AI. At first, only the most daring, adventurous people will try to do it. Maybe others will follow. Or not," he said.

While parting with the interviewer, Sutskever also said that he might even be one off the first people to accept being part AI.

AI could be a threat to humans

Sutskever isn't the only AI expert warning about it being superintelligent or smarter than humans. Earlier this month, Geoffrey Hinton, who is considered to be one of the three godfathers of AI, said in an interview that that the emerging tech could be a threat to humanity in the next 5-20 years.

In an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes, Hinton said that we might have "things" more intelligent than us for the first time ever. He also said that there is a possibility of AI manipulating human beings in the future.

"They will be able to manipulate people, right?" he said and added, "And these will be very good at convincing people because they'll have learned from all the novels that were ever written — all the books by Machiavelli, all the political connivances, they'll know all that stuff. They'll know how to do it."