By Selwyn Duke

In the year 2000, Sun Microsystems cofounder Bill Joy wrote an essay provocatively titled “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us.” Despite being published April 1, it was no joke; and despite its 11,000-word length, it would go viral. The reason why was encapsulated in its subhead. To wit:

“Our most powerful 21st-century technologies — robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech — are threatening to make humans an endangered species.”

Now, almost a quarter way through the 21st century, warnings that such technology — artificial intelligence (AI), to be precise — could spell man’s doom are everywhere. A prime example is a May 30 statement from research organization Center for AI Safety reading, “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

But here’s the kicker….

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