In a new episode of On A Mission Podcast, host Ellie McKay welcomes Mo Gawdat, a world-leading AI expert, a global innovator and the former Chief Business Officer of Google X. 

As someone who has experienced the development of AI first-hand, he shares his exclusive insights on the potential dangers and benefits of AI technology in a brand new interview. Ellie and Mo discuss the urgency of addressing the ethical and societal implications of AI, warning that the rapid advancements could pose a significant threat to humanity.

Mo says as time passes, his tone changes with AI technology, and he warns it will be a threat to humanity, “The core of our understanding of artificial intelligence is it’s a singularity. Singularity is a situation where the rules of the game change to the point that you can no longer predict the outcome of the game. So, AI being a singularity means that AI could be a dystopia that really destroys humanity as we know it. Or it could be a utopia that really creates an amazing dream life for all of us, and the difference between them is the actions we will take. The difference between them is not how AI will develop. AI is now on track to develop. It’s inevitable. It’s going to be part of our lives; it’s already part of our lives, and our capitalism is going to prevent us from stopping it. So, it could be a threat. And I would probably say the more time passes, I change my tone a little and say it will be a threat”.

Mo predicts how shopping will look in the not-too-distant future – and the incredible reality of being able to create and buy something literally out of thin air; he said, “There could be a time not in the distant future, in your lifetime and mine, where you walk to one tree and pick an apple and walk to another tree and pick an iPhone, the cost of making an iPhone from a molecular point of view, if we figure out nanophysics to the point that we need to which, we’re close. 

Believe it or not, most people don’t understand how far we are on some of that science fiction, but if we figure out nanophysics enough, we could literally formulate anything out of thin air, and what do we need to do that? Do we need more intelligence? But that same intelligence that’s capable of creating something out of thin air is also capable of destroying something out of thin air.” 

He also says that our jobs will forever be redefined – and the disruption AI will have on the fabric of our society. He warns that we will see bad things with AI and how it will be very disruptive to the fabric of our society, “Today I am more and more convinced that the Genie is out of the bottle, Okay, and that we will end up in a place where there will be some bad things. Bad things that are not science fiction-like. This is not Skynet or iRobot. This is not. I don’t think we will ever see that. But bad things are very disruptive to the fabric of our society. So, my tendency is to believe that jobs are going to be redefined beyond recognition. And accordingly, income, and accordingly purpose”. 

Throughout the thought-provoking conversation, Ellie McKay and Mo Gawdat discuss ultimately how humanity must be vigilant and responsible for developing and delaying artificial intelligence. 

Listen and watch now:

On A Mission Youtube channel and Apple Podcasts.