Are we doomed?
Midas Touch
It’s been nearly a year since Nobel peace laureate and war criminal Henry Kissinger died — but he’s somehow still offering policy suggestions from beyond the grave.
In an uncanny video introducing his posthumously-published book “Genesis,” an AI-generated voice clone of the amply loathed Kissinger likens the burgeoning field of AI to the curse of King Midas.
As the mythic tale goes, the Greek god Dionysus grants the greedy Midas a wish: that everything he touches will turn to gold. Before long, the king realizes that the gift is actually a curse when it comes true to the letter, and by the time he seeks to wash it off in the River Pactolus, he’d already lost his beloved daughter Marigold to it.
“What does this tell us,” the robotic Kissinger voice intones, “about humanity trying to wield a power which they cannot possibly understand?”
Mixed Messages
This book co-written by Richard Nixon’s secretary of state, alongside ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Microsoft executive Craig Mundie, seems mixed in its takeaways about both the dangers and the benefits posed by AI.
“Eric, Craig, and I decided to write Genesis to examine what artificial intelligence means for humanity,” AI Kissinger said, “and explore solutions to the challenges it poses.”
In the video, Mundie and Schmidt point out that they were the ones to introduce Kissinger to the concept of AI, and that in doing so, it brought the powerful trio closer than ever.
Together, they theorized about what role AI will play in the so-called Homo technicus era, a term coined two decades ago to describe the next era of human evolution in which we might essentially become one with the machine.
While the technology could revolutionize everything from healthcare to diplomacy, as the AI voice clone of the architect of the Vietnam War said without a trace of irony, it could also threaten our very existence.
“As these AI systems become increasingly sophisticated,” the Kissinger voice clone explained, “it is imperative that governments create an environment where ethical considerations and technological advancement can progress in tandem.”
It remains unclear whether that particular bit of advice will be heeded.
During his forthcoming second presidency, Donald Trump has already vowed to unleash AI from its current barely-imposed constraints. He’ll also, however, be once again bringing his son-in-law and onetime Kissinger protege Jared Kushner along for the ride.
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