One of the world's leading authorities on artificial intelligence has issued a stark warning, stating that the rapid development of superintelligent systems could lead to a future where the vast majority of the global population has no work. The expert argues that the current path is driven more by corporate greed and geopolitical rivalry than by public good.
The 'Appalling' Race for Superintelligence
Stuart Russell, a renowned professor at UC Berkeley and co-author of the seminal textbook "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach," did not mince words in a recent podcast appearance. Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, he labelled the trajectory of contemporary AI development as “appalling.” He contends that the drive to create Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is fueled less by societal benefit and more by private profit motives and intense geopolitical pressure.
Russell explained that advanced AI systems are on track to master virtually every task humans currently classify as work. "AI systems are doing pretty much everything we currently call work," he stated. To illustrate his point, he gave a striking example: "Anything you might aspire to — you want to become a surgeon — it takes the robot seven seconds to learn how to be a surgeon that's better than any human being."
Playing 'Russian Roulette' with Humanity
The professor levelled serious accusations against the companies leading this charge. He said they are recklessly endangering all of humanity in their pursuit of AGI. "They are playing Russian roulette with every human being on Earth… without our permission," Russell declared. He used a chilling analogy to describe their actions: "They're coming into our houses, putting a gun to the head of our children, pulling the trigger, and saying, 'Well, you know, possibly everyone will die. Oops. But possibly we'll get incredibly rich.'"
While public discourse often focuses on AI displacing blue-collar jobs in manufacturing, driving, or customer service, Russell warns that no position is safe, not even the highest echelons of corporate power. He painted a scenario where a company's board might confront its own CEO: “Well, you know, unless you turn over your decision-making power to the AI system, we're going to have to fire you because all our competitors are using an AI-powered CEO and they're doing much better.”
CEOs Themselves See the Writing on the Wall
Notably, Russell is not alone in predicting that AI could eventually run corporations. Top executives from leading AI firms have expressed similar views. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the BBC that he believes the functions of a CEO might be among the easier tasks for an AI to handle in the future. Similarly, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has remarked, "Shame on me if OpenAI is not the first big company run by an AI CEO."
Faced with a world where AI performs most economic work, Russell says humanity will face a profound existential challenge. We will need to completely redefine our purpose and find new meaning. "We need to figure out what the next phase is going to be like," he urged, "and in particular how in that world do we have the incentives to become fully human." The central question shifts from how we make a living to how we choose to live.
