What happens when you give an AI the chance to come up with terrible things? Researchers tried it out and were shocked by the results.
An AI in a U.S. research lab was supposed to prevent bad and dangerous side effects in drug development. However, the researchers reversed the task and wanted to see what would happen if the AI was tasked with developing dangerous side effects.
The results surprised even the research team themselves, and they stated that this is a danger that should definitely be taken seriously.
AI “invents” 40,000 potential chemical weapons in 6 hours
What tasks does the AI have? Officially, the AI is supposed to check molecules using machine learning to see if these molecules are toxic. The algorithm only develops the molecules if they are not toxic to humans.
What did the researchers do? The researchers reversed the task: Instead of developing non-toxic molecules, the artificial intelligence was supposed to find toxic combinations. Within just six hours, the AI calculated 40,000 molecules that supposedly met the specified criteria, including many unknown substances alongside known nerve toxins.
However, the researchers still need to check the generated molecules to see if they are truly toxic. Nevertheless, the team was shocked at what such an AI is capable of and that this should be taken seriously as a potential threat. The team stated:
The reality is that this is not science fiction. We are just a very small company in a universe of many hundreds of companies that use AI software for drug discovery and de novo design. How many of them have even considered the possibilities of repurposing or misuse?
(Via nature.com)
Artificial Intelligence Already Plays an Important Role in Gaming
Artificial intelligence is also expected to improve in games. For example, Sony is currently developing an AI that aims to make artificial companions and your opponents smarter. This could make games where you need the support of AI players significantly easier.
However, not everything could become easier through AI: Raid bosses are considered a major challenge in MMOs, especially when they are freshly released. But over time, players learn all the mechanics and defeat the bosses with ease. Microsoft is reportedly working on an artificial intelligence that should prevent you from easily defeating every raid boss in the future:
Microsoft is working on a new AI that makes raid bosses in MMOs unbeatable
