Experts have cautioned that the rapid spread of AI could disrupt democratic processes and pose a threat to human existence. Generative AI, which can create text, photos, and videos in response to open-ended prompts, has turbocharged deepfakes, which are realistic yet fabricated videos created by AI algorithms trained on copious online footage. This has blurred fact and fiction in politics, and the chance that none of the elections around the world in 2024 will be impacted by deepfakes is almost zero.

The Future of Life Institute warned that AI labs have been 'locked in an out-of-control race' to develop 'powerful digital minds that no one -not even their creators -can understand, predict, or reliably control.' The risks associated with developing ever-more powerful AI include the possibility of AI becoming so powerful that it becomes a threat to humanity, eliminating jobs to a point where it may be impossible for humans to simply learn new skills and enter other industries.

Why does this matter?

Companies are increasingly using AI to make decisions, including about pricing, which could lead to discriminatory outcomes. Another emerging threat that lawmakers and tech leaders must guard against is the possibility of AI becoming so powerful that it becomes a threat to humanity. Developing ever-more powerful AI will also risk eliminating jobs to a point where it may be impossible for humans to simply learn new skills and enter other industries.