Will AI really cause ‘a billion’ deaths if it goes wrong?

ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) is a technology created by humans that can vastly enhance individual capabilities. It can diagnose diseases, boost productivity, facilitate education and research, and accelerate administrative processes.

However, if this same technology falls into the hands of criminals, terrorists, or anti-state forces, the potential danger could be unprecedented.

This is why the recent warning issued by Microsoft founder Bill Gates warrants serious consideration.

Gates has stated that artificial intelligence could potentially lead to a situation resulting in ‘a billion’ deaths if it goes in wrong hands.

But it is more rational to view this not as a prediction, but as an extreme example intended to serve as a warning.

Therefore, capabilities to monitor AI systems’ decision-making, data usage patterns, anomalous behavior, and potential misuse must be established from the very outset.

This poses a formidable challenge even for the world’s powerful nations.

For a developing country like Bangladesh, the issue is even more complex, as the power to set security standards largely rests with those who are developing the technology.

Yet, the country’s most likely to fall victim to the adverse effects of the technology will not have adequate control over it. The potential areas for the misuse of AI in Bangladesh are significant.

Risks such as cyberattacks on banking and financial systems, identity theft, the creation of fake audio and video content, fraud, data theft, attacks on critical government infrastructure, and disruptions to power and communication networks could increasingly escalate.

There is another risk involved here. Developing nations are typically consumers of new technology rather than creators.

Consequently, an over-reliance on foreign AI systems could raise questions regarding data security, personal privacy, and control over national infrastructure.

If we utilize this technology without developing the indigenous capacity to comprehend the associated risks, a new level of dependency could emerge in the future.

Therefore, we need to make preparations in several areas right away.

For instance, it is essential to formulate clear national security and ethical frameworks for the use of AI.

It is also imperative to take initiatives to establish AI-driven cybersecurity systems for critical infrastructure, such as banking, power, and telecommunications, healthcare, and government databases.

Research into AI safety, cybersecurity, and algorithmic risks must be expanded research institutions.

If artificial intelligence slips beyond human control, the danger lies as much in human negligence as it does in the technology itself.

Therefore, reining it in now does not mean halting technological progress.

Rather, it means that as technology advances rapidly, safety measures must advance at an equally rapid pace.

Bangladesh has even less room for delay in making these preparations.