, Columnist
How the Robot Apocalypse Will Go Down
Artificial intelligence is like a weapon. Worry about the people wielding it.
Whose tool is it?
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
There are two conflicting visions of where artificial intelligence will take humankind. Some people worry that when robots become capable of programming themselves, they’ll realize that humans are useless and do away with us. Others think that on the day when robots become sentient -- that is, the moment of the singularity -- humans will be one with the computer, all-knowing and immortal.
I think they’re all wrong. That’s not how it will go down. The future of artificial intelligence will be much more banal, even downright sad.