Needless to say, we are living in the era of Artificial Intelligence. The powerful technology has made significant strides across multiple industries and its vast capabilities are only beginning to be explored. While AI chatbots are being employed for a variety of tasks, there are also fears of them being misused. There are also strong concerns that AI will take away millions of jobs and many tech entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk, have raised voices against its spread.
Recently, billionaire investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett also shared his thoughts on the rapidly evolving technology. The businessman issued a stark warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence, comparing its potential misuse to a nuclear bomb, CNN reported.
''We let a genie out of the bottle when we developed nuclear weapons and that genie has been doing some terrible things lately, and the power of that genie is what scares the hell out of me. And on the other hand, I don't know any way to get the genie back in the bottle. It's partway out of the bottle, and it's enormously important, and it's going to be done by somebody,'' Mr Buffet said at his annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
Though he accepted that he has little idea about the tech behind AI, but said he still fears its potential repercussions. Mr Buffett also shared a personal experience where he encountered an AI-generated image and voice capable of deceiving others by using his identity.
He said, ''I had one experience that does make me a little nervous, and I'll just explain it. Fairly recently, I saw an image in front of my eyes on the screen, and it was me and it was my voice. And wearing the kind of clothes I wear. My wife or my daughter wouldn't have been able to detect any difference. And it was delivering a message that no way came from me.''
"If I was interested in investing in scamming, it's going to be the growth industry of all time," he added.
Mr Buffet further cautioned that while AI has enormous potential for good, it also can cause significant harm.
''Scammers have always been part of the American scene. As someone who doesn't understand a damn thing about it, it has enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm and I just don't know how that plays out,'' he said.
He stressed the importance of regulatory oversight and responsible use of AI technology to mitigate potential risks and ensure positive outcomes for humanity.
