Artificial intelligence

Doomsday AI machines could lead to nuclear war, think tank paper warns

Could the future of artificial intelligence bring about a robot doomsday?

In a scenario straight out of apocalyptic science fiction, a leading security think tank is warning that as soon as 2040, AI machines could encourage nations to take apocalyptic risks with their nuclear stashes.

A paper commissioned by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit in Santa Monica, Calif., that offers research and analysis to the armed forces on global policy issues, says it's conceivable that AI —  as well as the proliferation of drones, satellites, and other sensors —  could lead to nuclear war with overwhelmingly grave consequences for humanity.

“Autonomous systems don’t need to kill people to undermine stability and make catastrophic war more likely,” said Edward Geist, an associate policy researcher at RAND, a specialist in nuclear security and co-author of the paper. “New AI capabilities might make people think they’re going to lose if they hesitate. That could give them itchier trigger fingers. At that point, AI will be making war more likely, even though the humans are still, quote-unquote, in control.”