'Careless use of AI is the real threat - not the ghost stories'
Meredith Whittaker, head of the Signal Foundation, argues that the primary threat from AI is not existential 'ghost stories' but rather the careless implementation of the technology. She highlights real-world risks, such as AI-generated intelligence errors that could lead to geopolitical conflict.
Why it matters
This perspective challenges the prevailing 'AI doom' narrative, shifting the focus toward immediate, practical risks and corporate accountability.
Image source, Alvaro Alvarez/ BBC Image caption, Meredith Whittaker believes science doesn't support the idea that AI will turn against humans
Warning: This article contains strong language.
Meredith Whittaker has little patience for the AI doom that dominates headlines - she thinks warnings of AI turning on humanity is a fear "not anchored in science".
"The risk is very real," says the boss of the Signal Foundation, which runs the encrypted messaging app of the same name, "but it's not the shiny ghost stories the wild-eyed boys are talking about".
Instead, she believes the more immediate danger is the technology being used carelessly.
She cites an alleged incident, reported by CNN, in which a chatbot used by US intelligence invented information about a Chinese vessel carrying nuclear material, reportedly leading the US to prepare a military response.
"We almost went to war with China," she tells BBC Global Women.
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