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Unleashing artificial general intelligence: utopia or dystopia?

May 14, 2023

Discover the compelling potential while exploring the ethical implications of an AGI-defined future.

In 2023, tech giants are racing to leverage generative AI. Many are already looking beyond the capabilities of ChatGPT, while creatives are excited about the potential of text-to-video technology showcased in new applications such as Runway.

As we gleefully experiment, much like children with powerful new toys, we may unknowingly be inching toward a future defined by Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). But is this brave new digital world, where machines possess diverse reasoning abilities on par with humans, a utopian or dystopian concept?

AGI is a type of AI that can comprehend and excel at any intellectual pursuit a human can tackle. Unlike current AI systems, which are limited to specific tasks, AGI can learn and perform every cognitive task humans can, from playing chess and crafting poetry to solving complex mathematical problems.

Will AGI take my job?

Despite many big tech companies promoting the fiction that AI will not remove jobs, it’s difficult to see any other outcome. As AGI systems become more advanced, numerous tasks currently performed by humans, such as data management, analysis, customer service, and even specific specialized roles, could eventually be automated. This shift will significantly affect the job market, potentially leading to substantial job losses and unemployment.

AGI systems could automate repetitive, routine, or rule-based tasks as they become more advanced. However, before hitting the panic button, it’s important to remember that we’ve been here before. In the last 25 years, we’ve said goodbye to Blockbuster video, switchboard operators, camera film processing stores, and fax machines.

However, as technology and society have evolved over the past 20 years, numerous new job roles have emerged to meet the changing demands and challenges of the modern world. It’s hard to comprehend today that positions like social media managers, mobile app developers, cloud architects, data scientists, user experience designers, content strategists, chief listening officers, cyber security analysts, and machine learning engineers barely existed just 20 years ago.

For these reasons alone, it’s safe to assume that AGI will also give rise to new industries and occupations. As these systems become more prevalent, there’ll be a demand for professionals to develop, maintain, and improve AGI technologies, generating new job opportunities and career paths. Furthermore, AGI will drive innovation, offering novel products, services, and technologies that benefit society and the economy as a whole.

Get back to being human

Jobs requiring a high level of creativity, emotional intelligence, or complex problem-solving are less likely to be replaced by AGI. Human interaction, empathy, and nuanced understanding of cultural or social contexts are areas where humans still hold a significant advantage over AI systems. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not technical skills that have held many workers back but robotic processes that have prevented them from using human intuition, imagination, leadership, and freedom to innovate.

AGI will undoubtedly disrupt some job roles and tasks. But is the removal of repetitive mundane tasks, where workers perform the same daily routine, really getting the best out of a human workforce? As AGI and other technologies transform industries, new opportunities will emerge. By developing transferable skills, embracing lifelong learning, and staying informed about trends and advancements in your field, you can increase your chances of adapting and thriving in the changing job landscape.

The power and peril of AI: a call for thoughtful leadership

We live in an age where big tech races forward, proudly proclaiming its ambition to move fast and break things. Clad in Patagonia power vests, the tech elite flaunts their perceived invincibility, oblivious to the long-term societal implications of their innovations. The swift and thoughtless adoption of technology has led to the outsourcing of our cognitive faculties to the devices that live in our pockets. With the advent of AGI, we’re on the cusp of further cementing our dependence on tech and promoting the slow decay of critical thinking.

The potential pitfalls of AGI are profound. In the hands of those with malicious intent, we could see malware, spam emails, and phishing scams reach unforeseen heights. More alarmingly, the unscrupulous few may use AGI to seize control of entire nations, employing sophisticated surveillance systems that use facial recognition and CCTV, all managed by AGI.

This paints a grim picture where an elite few wield unprecedented power over the masses, manipulating AGI for nefarious purposes. We must pause and consider the risks of AGI falling into the wrong hands. What if a wealthy individual, driven by ambition and greed, weaponizes AGI to bend the world to their will?

Leaders of tech companies are saying all the right things about the need for greater regulation. But their actions often contradict what they say in press releases or tweets. For example, Google fired an AI ethics researcher after she criticized some of the company’s most lucrative work, and Microsoft fired its ethics and society team that taught employees how to make AI tools responsibly. And who could forget the moment Elon Musk fired the entire ‘Ethical AI’ team at Twitter in one swoop?

Although many extreme worst-case scenarios associated with AGI are unlikely, we need to explore the exact risks of a person or entity with dishonorable intentions not intending to use AGI for the greater good. What if the highest bidder of these powerful systems plans to use them as tools to attack people or entire nations? What if it unleashes the James Bond villain in a billionaire wanting to take over the world?

A gradual transition gives people, policymakers, and institutions time to understand what’s happening, personally experience the benefits and downsides of these systems, adapt our economy, and put regulation in place. It also allows for society and AI to co-evolve and for people collectively to figure out what they want. At the same time, the stakes are relatively low.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

In a world where we possess the power to program the objectives of initial AGIs, the intentions of the individuals, nations, or corporations behind their creation remain a looming uncertainty. Unfortunately, history has shown us that long-term collective welfare is often cast aside in pursuit of immediate gains in power and wealth. Experts warn that we must also look beyond regulating AGI and safeguarding individuals against potential abuses by corporations and governments, who may use it to reduce costs or avoid accountability.

As we strive to manage risks and shield ourselves from the most formidable danger – the human condition – the prospect of an uncontrollable AI cannot be ignored. In the wrong hands, we could sleepwalk into a dystopian future that threatens to exacerbate the inequality we see in the world we see today and render the concept of meritocracy obsolete.

Ultimately, despite the giant scientific leaps forward, our fate could be determined by some of the worst human traits such as greed, selfishness, dishonesty, and cruelty combined with complex technologies. All these things must be considered in a belts and braces approach to IT and understanding the impact of every technological change will have on our future before this short window closes forever.

Security Lapse by Microsoft Employees Exposes Internal Passwords

26 Apr, 2024
In continuation of Microsoft’s series of data security incidents, employees accidentally exposed internal data to the public. The leak exposed an unprotected Azure storage server containing code, scripts, and configuration files. Microsoft has announced that it has fixed a security breach that exposed internal company credentials and files to the open internet. The breach was first discovered by security researchers from cybersecurity firm SOC Radar. According to their report, an internal error resulted in an Azure storage server without password protection being given public access. The exposed data was primarily related to Microsoft’s Bing search engine, including configuration files, code, and scripts that employees used to access a range of internal systems and databases. Consequently, bad actors could identify and access locations for Microsoft's internal data. So far, it has not been made clear how long the data has been exposed. Anuj Mudaliar Assistant Editor - Tech, SWZD opens a new window opens a new window Anuj Mudaliar is a content development professional with a keen interest in emerging technologies, particularly advances in AI. As a tech editor for Spiceworks, Anuj covers many topics, including cloud, cybersecurity, emerging tech innovation, AI, and hardware. When not at work, he spends his time outdoors - trekking, camping, and stargazing. He is also interested in cooking and experiencing cuisine from around the world.

AT&T experienced data breach that impacted 51 million customers (No one is immune)

26 Apr, 2024
AT&T is notifying 51 million former and current customers, warning them of a data breach that exposed their personal information on a hacking forum. However, the company has still not disclosed how the data was obtained. These notifications are related to the recent leak of a massive amount of AT&T customer data on the Breach hacking forums that was offered for sale for $1 million in 2021. When threat actor ShinyHunters first listed the AT&T data for sale in 2021, the company told BleepingComputer that the collection did not belong to them and that their systems had not been breached. Last month, when another threat actor known as 'MajorNelson' leaked the entire dataset on the hacking forum, AT&T once again told BleepingComputer that the data did not originate from them and their systems were not breached. After BleepingComputer confirmed that the data belonged to AT&T and DirectTV accounts, and TechCrunch reported AT&T passcodes were in the data dump, AT&T finally confirmed that the data belonged to them. While the leak contained information for more than 70 million people, AT&T is now saying that it impacted a total of 51,226,382 customers. "The [exposed] information varied by individual and account, but may have included full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, AT&T account number and AT&T passcode," reads the notification. "To the best of our knowledge, personal financial information and call history were not included. Based on our investigation to date, the data appears to be from June 2019 or earlier." BleepingComputer contacted AT&T as to why there is such a large difference in impacted customers and was told that some of the people had multiple accounts in the dataset. "We are sending a communication to each person whose sensitive personal information was included. Some people had more than one account in the dataset, and others did not have sensitive personal information," AT&T told BleepingComputer. The company has still not disclosed how the data was stolen and why it took them almost five years to confirm that it belonged to them and to alert customers. Furthermore, the company told the Maine Attorney General's Office that they first learned of the breach on March 26, 2024, yet BleepingComputer first contacted AT&T about it on March 17th and the information was for sale first in 2021. While it is likely too late, as the data has been privately circulating for years, AT&T is offering one year of identity theft protection and credit monitoring services through Experian, with instructions enclosed in the notices. The enrollment deadline was set to August 30, 2024, but exposed people should move much faster to protect themselves. Recipients are urged to stay vigilant, monitor their accounts and credit reports for suspicious activity, and treat unsolicited communications with elevated caution. For the admitted security lapse and the massive delay in verifying the data breach claims and informing affected customers accordingly, AT&T is facing multiple class-action lawsuits in the U.S. Considering that the data was stolen in 2021, cybercriminals have had ample opportunity to exploit the dataset and launch targeted attacks against exposed AT&T customers. However, the dataset has now been leaked to the broader cybercrime community, exponentially increasing the risk for former and current AT&T customers. Update 4/10/24: Added statement from AT&T about discrepancy in numbers. BILL TOULAS Bill Toulas is a tech writer and infosec news reporter with over a decade of experience working on various online publications, covering open-source, Linux, malware, data breach incidents, and hacks.

Home Depot Data Compromised Through Third-Party SaaS Misconfiguration

26 Apr, 2024
Home improvement retailer Home Depot confirmed with multiple publishers that it suffered a data break due to a third-party SaaS vendor inadvertently exposing a subset of employee data. IntelBroker, the threat actor behind the attack claims it has the information of 10,000 Home Depot employees. A Home Depot software vendor suffered a data breach leading to the compromise of an undisclosed number of employees. IntelBroker, the threat actor behind the attack claims it has the information of 10,000 Home Depot employees. Home improvement retailer Home Depot confirmed with multiple publishers that it suffered a data break due to a third-party software vendor inadvertently exposing a subset of employee data. Reportedly, the breach was caused by a misconfigured software-as-a-service (SaaS) application.
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