Will AI Result In Increased Violence?

No, I’m not talking about futuristic scenarios such as the rise of Skynet. I believe that AI’s short to medium-term threat is a bit more ordinary. The threat of violence from AI comes from its potentially destabilizing nature.

If you are not able to view the video, go here.

Side note: “Terminator 2” is one of my all-time favorite science fiction movies. I never get tired of watching it. The Skynet version of AI is scary as hell. But this version of a future hellscape is not what I have in mind for this post.

I consider AI’s impact on job security and its potential role in supercharging disinformation. Both have the potential to destabilize the foundations of a civilized society and increase the risk of violence.

To backtrack, I’ve long argued that the self-defense community is, to a large extent, too narrowly focused on personal violence. Many of us train to defend ourselves against muggers, knife attacks and many other scenarios. Some even delve into de-escalation and avoidance strategies. For the most, I don’t have a problem with any of this. Heck, I train for many scenarios and emphasize avoiding potentially violent situations.

I believe there must be a broader view of self-defense and violence. For instance, research indicates a strong correlation between interest rate hikes and increased crime rates. Also, it is well known that the hotter temperatures, the more likely crime will increase.

With this in mind, I find the potential impact of AI on potential violence to be fascinating.

Let’s start with disinformation.

Check out this convincing deepfake video of President Richard Nixon announcing a moon landing disaster. Holy moly!

If you are not able to view this video, go here.

The above video was generated with the assistance of AI at MIT. One can only imagine the terrifying possibilities of deepfake videos generated by malignant actors (both state and non-state).

One example is how Myanmar weaponized social media against the Rohingya people, resulting in a massive ethnic cleansing. Imagine AI as a super accelerant for spreading disinformation through social media against targeted groups.

Another example is a 2017 Russian disinformation campaign that organized protests by opposing groups outside an Islamic Center in Houston. Again, imagine AI being used to supercharge the disinformation campaign.

Excerpts from the above article are amazing to read:

Last year, two Russian Facebook pages organized dueling rallies in front of the Islamic Da’wah Center of Houston, according to information released by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican.

Heart of Texas, a Russian-controlled Facebook group that promoted Texas secession, leaned into an image of the state as a land of guns and barbecue and amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. One of their ads on Facebook announced a noon rally on May 21, 2016 to “Stop Islamification of Texas.”

A separate Russian-sponsored group, United Muslims of America, advertised a “Save Islamic Knowledge” rally for the same place and time.

Burr, the committee’s chairman, unveiled the ads at a hearing Wednesday morning and said Russians managed to pit Texans against each other for the bargain price of $200.

Again, imagine AI being used to supercharge this kind of disinformation campaign. While violence did not occur at this event, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that there is great potential for violence resulting from disinformation campaigns.

My feeling is that the potential for AI-generated disinformation campaigns to result in violence can’t be ignored.

To the question of whether AI-generated disinformation will result in violence, my answer is YES.

Next, let’s look at the impact of AI on job security.

Some argue that AI will be economically destabilizing because this emerging technology will result in vast displacement of workers in various industries. In particular, AI-generated algorithms and automation will result in a massive increase in unemployment. Some point to the enormous job losses in the automotive industry in North America due to automation alone. The fear is that AI may be economically destabilizing enough to result in violence. Some go so far as to invoke a Bastille-type moment in the future.

Some speculate that the legal profession may take a substantial hit because AI performs legal tasks such as wills, contracts, and handling complex discovery tasks.

With respect to the theory that AI will destabilize entire societies to the point where it descends into violence, color me skeptical.

Look at where we are today, despite the vast technological disruptions of the past few decades. In the last 30 years, we have seen the rise of PC/laptop computers, the internet, broadband, Wi-Fi, email, and mobile phones.

Have the above changed society? Unquestionably, yes. Has it led to a hellscape of a destabilized society? No. At least, not yet.

I bet that properly used AI will benefit society in the same way as previous technologies. I don’t think that this will lead to a dystopian future of massive unemployment and the resulting degradation of human civilization.

What is the point of this post?

I think that it’s useful to think through the potential for violence from any direction whether it be personal, international, climate-related, due to economic factors or the rise of new technology such as AI. Such thought experiments can help us prepare to deal with the outcomes of any of the above events.

In the case of AI, I believe that the potential for violence is much more significant from the disinformation arena than its impact on general employment.

What do you think? I would like to hear your comments!

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